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What to Expect (and Not Expect) From OpenAI and Jony Ive’s AI-Centric ‘Screenless Phone’

Here’s everything we know so far about the mysterious upcoming AI device from the iPhone designer and creator of ChatGPT.

AI is coming for your phones — this you know by now and maybe you’ve already experienced it for yourself in the form of Apple Intelligence or Google’s Gemini.

But OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT and perhaps the biggest name in AI software and services right now, is making a different bet. It’s looking beyond the traditional smartphone and thinking about how AI might reinvent our devices altogether.

On Wednesday, the company announced that it had bought Jony Ive’s device startup IO for $6.5 billion. Together, Ive and Altman are building something new — a device unlike anything we’ve owned before, with AI at its core.

«It became clear that our ambitions to develop, engineer and manufacture a new family of products demanded an entirely new company,» the pair said in a statement about their working relationship. «The IO team, focused on developing products that inspire, empower and enable, will now merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering and product teams in San Francisco.»

Ive is the visionary veteran Apple designer, who together with Steve Jobs created the iPhone, along with a long list of Apple devices. Now he’s turned his attention to creating a fresh device category, which has clearly piqued the interest of Altman. Ive’s startup has reportedly been working on a «screenless phone» — although other reports suggest it’s actually not a phone at all.

Rumors of this mysterious AI-focused device have been circulating for months but Ive and Altman are keeping a tight lid on the details, fearing that a competitor may try to beat them to market.

So, for now, we’ll just have to imagine.

The obvious existing point of comparison is the Humane AI Pin, an AI-specific device designed to be worn clipped to your collar. It launched to much fanfare in February 2024, but turned out to be a spectacular failure, creating a lasting air of pessimism around the entire idea of AI devices.

«It is unsurprising that there is skepticism about this type of product, particularly in the context of the high-profile failure of the Humane AI, which captured the imagination of tech enthusiasts, including me, but turned out to be a classic example of over-promising and under-delivering,» said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight.

The combination of Ive and Altman though, is full of potential. «It would be foolish to bet against Jony Ive, given his remarkable track record of delivering products that disrupt a market,» said Wood.

«I have a growing sense that everything I have learned over the last 30 years has led me to this moment,» Ive said in a YouTube video in which the pair talk about their friendship.

Their challenge, says Thoman Husson, VP principal analyst at Forrester, «is not just to use AI to enhance existing tasks, but to invent new products and experiences.»

That said, OpenAI’s ambitions for its AI devices are that it’s able to ship 100 million units — a bold bet for a software company entering the hardware space for the first time, with no pre-established supply chain.

«Jony Ive is an exceptional designer but smartphones (and hardware) is a volume play about scale and scope,» said Husson. «I think Apple is still best placed to win this marathon race.»

A wearable? Glasses? A phone? Perhaps not

In the absence of any substantial hints or clues, we remain for now in the dark as to what this first piece of OpenAI hardware will look like, how it will function and how it will fit into our lives.

There’s been some speculation, based largely on claims made by reliable Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, that the OpenAI device will be a wearable. In a social media post, Kuo said the io product was designed to be worn around the neck and was «as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle.»

This would indicate that Altman and Ive are taking a different approach to Meta, which has gone all in on smart glasses. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said the glasses are the ultimate AI device, because of their ability to receive and deliver information in close proximity to your eyes and and ears.

But we should also be prepared for the possibility that Altman and Ive’s device isn’t a wearable at all. According to the Wall Street Journal, Altman said Ive was skeptical about the idea of AI wearables, making it sound unlikely that he would embrace them as part of this project.

Citing a briefing given by Altman to OpenAI employees, the WSJ reports that the device «will be unobtrusive, able to rest in one’s pocket or on one’s desk, and will be a third core device a person would put on a desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone.»

It’s curious to see the OpenAI screenless phone being discussed this way, almost as if it falls within Apple’s specific family of products. The WSJ said Altman is envisaging in the long term «a family of devices,» which will be defined by what Ive described as «a new design movement.»

Perhaps the only thing we know for sure about this product is that it won’t come with a screen. Altman has been critical of the amount of time we spend looking at screens — but is there room on the market for devices that tempt us away from our screens? «Except smartwatches, no new product category has emerged since the smartphone,» said Husson. «There is room for disruption and innovation.»

This not-a-phone, not-a-wearable currently exists to us only as an amorphous third thing — and likely will do for some time yet. Keep checking back for more rumors and updates, which we will add as we get more information about what kind of device may rule our lives in the near future, just as the smartphone does today.

Technologies

Peloton’s Friday the 13th-Themed Workouts Let You Try to Escape Jason, the Iconic Killer

The company is collaborating with the companies behind the hockey-masked slasher to light a fire under your next workout.

Do you have what it takes to be the final survivor in your favorite horror movie? Or are you too unfit to outrun the murderous slasher from Friday the 13th? 

Peloton’s new collaboration with the companies behind the hockey-masked movie murderer, Jason Voorhees, brings the campy horror of Camp Crystal Lake to your exercise routine.


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The exercise company joined forces with Jason Universe and Horror, Inc., the original owners of the Friday the 13th film franchise, to assemble three classes inspired by the infamous movie killer. Instructors, appropriately dressed as camp counselors, run themed exercises based on trying to survive Jason’s rampage.

The first class, a 30-minute ride with instructor Camila Ramón, runs from the Peloton studio to Camp Crystal Lake. As cyclists get closer to their final destination, it becomes clear that they’re riding for their lives.

The second class is a 30-minute boot camp with instructor Rebecca Kennedy, focused on improving muscle strength. Kennedy starts with a normal routine before transitioning into training about how to escape the creepy camp.

The session concludes with a 10-minute meditation with instructor Denis Morton focused on breathing techniques that help with «facing your demons and finding calm in scary times.»

Immersive storytelling meets exercise

The new series of exercises is a clever bit of storytelling that blurs the line between reality and fiction. This Jason-themed narrative feels like Peloton’s attempt at an alternate reality game.

«We’re so excited to bring this haunting series to our Members, unlocking a new way for our community to experience a physical journey like never before,» said Ramón. «Reimagining the Jason Universe and Camp Crystal Lake onto our platform allows us to explore a new type of immersive storytelling.»

If you want to survive Jason’s latest killing spree, you’ll have to train hard. While the killer usually ambles forward at a glacial pace, he always seems to show up just when someone gets too comfortable. The original Friday the 13th movie came out 45 years ago, so Jason has decades of slasher experience under his moldering belt.

All three of the new Jason-themed Peloton classes are available to members now. A commemorative limited edition T-shirt featuring Jason Voorhees is also available on Peloton’s apparel website. The scariest thing is its price — $49.

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Technologies

Amazon Prime’s $2.5 FTC Settlement: Learn Who’s Eligible and How Much Payouts Will Be

The online retail giant will soon begin paying misled customers who subscribed to Amazon Prime.

If you thought your Amazon Prime signup process was a little confusing, it’s not just you. The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Amazon in 2023, alleging that the retail giant misled customers in marketing Prime subscriptions to its customers. In September, Amazon agreed to pay a $2.5 billion settlement, one of the largest in US history.

The FTC said $1.5 billion will go into a fund to repay eligible subscribers, with the remaining $1 billion collected as a civil penalty. And while Amazon did not admit to wrongdoing, it’s still making changes to how it presents the service. The settlement requires Amazon to add a «clear and conspicuous» option to decline Prime during checkout and to simplify the cancellation process.

«Amazon and our executives have always followed the law, and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,» Mark Blafkin, Amazon senior manager, said in a statement. «We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world.»


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Why did the FTC file a lawsuit against Amazon?

The FTC filed suit against Amazon accused the company of using «dark patterns» to nudge people into Prime subscriptions and then making it too hard to cancel. The FTC maintained Amazon was in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act

«Specifically, Amazon used manipulative, coercive or deceptive user-interface designs known as ‘dark patterns’ to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions,» the FTC complaint states.

Who’s eligible for Amazon’s payout?

Amazon’s legal settlement is limited to customers who enrolled in Amazon Prime between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025. It’s also restricted to customers who subscribed to Prime using a «challenged enrollment flow» or who enrolled in Prime through any method but were unsuccessful in canceling their memberships.

The FTC called out specific enrollment pages, including Prime Video enrollment, the Universal Prime Decision page, the Shipping Option Select page and the Single Page Checkout. To qualify for a payout, claimants must also not have used more than 10 Amazon Prime benefits in any 12-month period.

Customers who signed up via those challenged processes and did not use more than three Prime benefits within one year will be paid automatically by Amazon within 90 days. Other eligible Amazon customers will need to file a claim, and Amazon is required to send notices to those people within 30 days of making its automatic payments.

Customers who did not use a challenged sign-up process but instead were unable to cancel their memberships will also need to file claims for payment.

How big will the Amazon payments be?

Payouts to eligible Amazon claimants will be limited to a maximum of $51. That amount could be reduced depending on the number of Amazon Prime benefits you used while subscribed to the service. Those benefits include free two-day shipping, watching shows or movies on Prime Video or Whole Foods grocery discounts. 

Customers who qualify for the payments should receive them by Dec. 24.Customers outside the US aren’t eligible for the payout.

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Technologies

These Already Affordable ANC OneOdio Headphones Are Even Better at $26 Off

They’re one of our favorite noise-canceling pairs for less than $100, and you can snag some for a record-low $64 right now.

Though you could easily drop $300 or even more, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get yourself a decent pair of headphones these days. There are some excellent budget-friendly options out there that still have plenty to offer, and right now you can snag one of our favorite pairs of 2025 for even less. Amazon has knocked $26 off the OneOdio A10s, which brings them down to a record-low $64. Though this deal could expire at any time, so be sure to get your order in soon.

These over-ear OneOdio headphones earned a spot on our list of the best noise-canceling pairs under $100 thanks to their sturdy design and superior comfort. According to CNET audio expert David Carnoy, they also «sound surprisingly decent and have reasonably good noise canceling with a transparency mode.» Plus, they boast an impressive 50-hour battery life and have a 3.5mm aux port for wired listening as well.

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Why this deal matters

Having earned a spot on our list of the best budget noise-canceling headphones, the OneOdio A10s are already a decent value at full price. So a chance to grab a pair on sale — let alone for a record-low price — is a serious bargain. They have a sturdy design, impressive sound and decent noise-canceling capabilities, which is a solid set of features for less than $70.

Though there are plenty of other excellent headphone deals available now, if you’re on the hunt for a different pair.

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