OpenAI just gave a clearer timeline for shipping its mystery AI device

• OpenAI said in a filing that it won't launch its mysterious hardware product before February 2027.
• It also told a court it would not use the "io" name for any AI devices.
• OpenAI's first hardware device has been the source of much speculation.

We still don't know what OpenAI's mysterious hardware device is — but now we have a better idea of when we might get our hands on it.

The company just revealed it doesn't expect to ship the product it's building with legendary Apple designer Jony Ive before February 2027.

The admission came in a Monday court filing by OpenAI amid a dispute with the startup Iyo, which sued OpenAI last year over the "io" trademark.

The previously known timeline for the OpenAI device, shared by the company's chief global affairs officer at Davos last month, was a product reveal in the second half of 2026.

The Monday filing contained a sworn statement from Peter Welinder, the vice president and general manager at OpenAI, stating that the company expects its "first hardware device will not ship to customers before the end of February 2027."

It's unclear whether OpenAI still plans to unveil the new device later this year before shipping it in 2027. An OpenAI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

OpenAI announced last year that it would acquire Ive's hardware company, io Products, in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion.

In June last year, after Iyo sued OpenAI, the court issued a temporary restraining order preventing OpenAI from using the "io" trademark. OpenAI then scrubbed mentions of its partnership with Ive from its website, as well as a promotional video.

In the Monday filing, OpenAI's lawyers said the company no longer planned to use the "io" name for its product. The company had "reevaluated the branding of their forthcoming hardware products in light of OpenAI's existing brands," they wrote in the filing, adding that the name would not be used for marketing or "sale of any artificial intelligence-enabled hardware products."

The lawyers argued that an April 2026 preliminary injunction hearing, which had been scheduled by the court, would therefore be "both unnecessary and impractical."

Wired previously reported on elements of Monday's court filing.

The secrecy surrounding Ive and OpenAI's first hardware product has sparked much speculation, including whether it will take the form of earbuds, a pen, glasses, or something else.

A video purporting to tease the new device circulated over the weekend, which OpenAI said was "totally fake." A now-deleted Reddit post claimed the video was a shelved ad teasing earbuds with actor Alexander Skarsgård.

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