Apple has sued OpenAI for trade secret theft, accusing the company of using confidential Apple intellectual property to build its first-ever hardware product.
According to reports, this secret project is a portable, screenless speaker powered by ChatGPT that has been in development for years.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, alleges that OpenAI gained access to a proprietary metal-finishing technique and other confidential materials during its development process.
Apple’s legal filing states that OpenAI’s hardware business “rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets.”
Apple has asked the court for an injunction, which would prevent OpenAI from releasing the device at all.
What the Device Actually Does
According to Bloomberg, the device is designed to function as a home AI companion. It carries a rechargeable battery, moves between rooms, and includes a built-in camera that lets it observe its surroundings.
The speaker uses GPT-Live to hold conversations and is meant to grow more familiar with a user over time, learning preferences and anticipating needs rather than just responding to commands.
OpenAI describes the product as capable of controlling smart home accessories, answering questions, playing media, and responding to messages.
Unlike a standard smart speaker, it has mechanical components that move independently, intended to give the device a quality that feels less static.
OpenAI does not view Apple’s HomePod lineup as a direct comparison, positioning this product differently from anything currently on the market.
Jony Ive Is Behind the Design
The hardware was developed with significant involvement from Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief responsible for the look of the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook lines.
Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have publicly teased the device on multiple occasions, describing prototypes as having “incredible contextual awareness” about a user’s daily life.
The two have called the product a new category of computer built specifically around AI interaction rather than adapted from an existing form factor.
Launch Timeline Faces Uncertainty
The device had originally been expected to ship sometime in 2026 but was pushed back earlier this year to 2027.
OpenAI may still announce the product publicly this year ahead of that release date. Whether the Apple lawsuit disrupts those plans depends on how the court rules.
If a judge grants Apple’s injunction request, OpenAI could be blocked from selling the hardware entirely until the legal dispute is resolved.
Apple is also building its own smart home hub, a separate product rumored to feature a seven-inch display, a camera, speaker, and deep Siri integration.
That device and the OpenAI speaker occupy overlapping territory in the emerging home AI space, and both companies are now competing in the same product category while simultaneously fighting in court over how OpenAI’s version came to exist.
