Jony Ive and Sam Altman made a big promise when they teased the launch of a completely new concept in AI hardware more than a year ago.
The most recent report suggests that OpenAI may technically be delivering on this promise, but could end up at least partly competing with an upcoming AirPods model. If so, I can easily see AirPods Ultra proving the more popular choice …
The duo teased their AI hardware device in a video launched back in May of last year. It was frustratingly light in details about what form the device might take, but the pair did claim it was something completely new.
“I think it is the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen”
“And so it’s just common sense to at least think, surely there’s something beyond these legacy products.”
“I am absolutely certain that we are literally on the brink of a new generation of technology that can make us our better selves.”
As I said at the time, you can’t make those kind of promises and then launch a form factor we’ve seen before.
One smart hardware product we’ve definitely seen before is the smart speaker. However, the most recent report suggests that’s exactly what we should now be expecting. Bloomberg says that what will differentiate it is the inclusion of a camera and other sensors.
OpenAI’s much-anticipated push into consumer devices is slated to begin with a mobile, screen-free smart speaker […] It includes a camera and other sensors that help it understand a user’s surroundings and context, as well as advanced AI models beyond those available on conventional smart speakers.
Whether that truly makes it an entirely new type of technology is debatable, but it’s not hard to see how such a device could be dramatically more capable than existing smart speakers.
However, that combination – a device that can talk to us, coupled to cameras to give it awareness of what’s around us – isn’t new. We have it in our iPhone thanks to Visual Intelligence. We’ve also seen it in Meta smart glasses and competing models. Finally, it sounds very much like what we’re expecting from the upcoming AirPods Ultra.
The biggest change coming to Apple’s AirPods lineup is a new version of AirPods with built-in cameras. This pair of AirPods will have a camera in both the left and the right earbuds. The cameras, however, aren’t designed for photo and video capture. Instead, they will be used in conjunction with Siri to provide context for the environment around you. Bloomberg has described them as “the eyes” for Siri.
Of course, speakers and headphones don’t compete head-to-head, though there is overlap between the usage cases. A smart speaker is more convenient at home, requiring nothing in your ears and addressable by more than one person. But OpenAI did specifically talk about a device that you would carry around with you, and I have to say AirPods seem a massively more convenient form factor for use outside the home.
Perhaps we’ll be pleasantly surprised, but as things stand, I can’t imagine routinely carrying a portable speaker around with me other than those times when I already do, such as going away for the weekend and wanting decent-quality music available in my hotel room or holiday apartment. Contrary to what was suggested in the promotional video, I cannot envisage any scenario in which I’d take it to a bar with me.
To me then, AirPods Ultra would seem to have significantly more potential than a smarter speaker. What’s your take on this? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.
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Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!
