He took Apple’s hardware design to new heights – could Jony Ive do the same in the burgeoning AI-focused hardware market?
That’s the hope for Ive’s next project, in which the veteran designer will partner with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to create a new hardware device that takes advantage of the company’s rapidly growing artificial intelligence products.
The partnership, which was rumored earlier this year, has now been confirmed in a New York Times Profile which explores Ive’s post-Apple independence, including conversations with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
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The pair agreed to partner on a new “artificial intelligence device company” for a product “that uses AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone,” according to the article. It’s not that Apple is averse to AI integrations – the latest iOS 18 The release is set to receive an update that will include integrated access to ChatGPT and OpenAI technology.
But iPhones, including new ones iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 ProIt will continue to use AI as a feature rather than a product itself, and that will be the differentiating factor of this new device. OpenAI will be the core. “What form of industrial design it will take is still being determined,” but Ive’s team has an exemplary pedigree: Some members of his new team worked alongside him on iPhone designs over the years.
A device revolution to come?
Ive’s project won’t be the first to attempt to create a custom, purpose-built AI hardware design. But early forays into the market have been mixed at best.
The Rabbit R1 was launched earlier this year and wowed with its cute phone-like design. But its actual utility, swapping traditional apps for generative AI responses, proved clunky. Similarly, the Humane AI pin was launched to great enthusiasm, but soon failed to overcome the limitations presented by its wearable form factor.
But if anyone can create an AI device form factor that actually works, it’s Ive. His meticulous attention to detail has had a major influence on the world of technology, revolutionizing the design of computing devices. If his approach was ever in doubt, take this sidebar from the article: He just spent five years working on a book about History of buttons.
Jony Ive says he has been working on a book about buttons for 5 years pic.twitter.com/PqWhQ8KYLRSeptember 23, 2024
