{"id":405192,"date":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/405192\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","slug":"jony-ive-and-sam-altmans-first-ai-gadget-may-try-to-kill-airpods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/405192\/","title":{"rendered":"Jony Ive and Sam Altman\u2019s First AI Gadget May Try to Kill AirPods"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever looked at a pair of AirPods<\/a> and thought, \u201cI really wish these were behind\u00a0my ears and not in them,\u201d then Jony Ive and Sam Altman might be here to save the day.<\/p>\n

Reports from a supply chain leaker, Smart Pikachu<\/a>, who has previously shared information<\/a> on rumored unreleased Apple products<\/a>, indicate that an anticipated AI gadget<\/a> from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple head of design, Jony Ive, has AirPods in its crosshairs.<\/p>\n

Hearing fresh detail on Openai “To-go” hardware project from last report. Now confirmed it is a special audio product to replace Airpod, internal code name is “Sweetpea”<\/p>\n

On manufacturing, Foxconn has been told to prepare for total 5 devices by Q4 2028. All not known but a home\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/svOCBuyapI<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SFumFfRIeF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u667a\u6167\u76ae\u5361\u4e18 Smart Pikachu (Weibo) (@zhihuipikachu) January 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The device, codenamed \u201cSweetpea,\u201d apparently, is what the leaker is describing as a \u201cspecial audio product\u201d that resembles an earpiece. Two pill-shaped gadgets, which are housed in an egg-shaped case when not in use, can be situated behind the ear. From there, I assume they can do stuff like play audio or place calls. I say \u201cassume\u201d here because we don\u2019t yet know what Altman and Ive\u2019s gadget really does yet.<\/p>\n

If there was one thing I\u2019d bet all the AirPods in the world on, it\u2019s that Sweetpea centers on an AI voice assistant powered by ChatGPT. Using microphones and a voice assistant, these not-earbuds<\/a> could make calls, play audio, or maybe even control stuff on your phone. If that sounds a lot like what you can already do with wireless earbuds as they exist right now, well\u2026 that\u2019s because it is.\u00a0According to Smart Pikachu:<\/p>\n

\u201c[the] main processor target is 2nm smart phone style chip (exynos most favored). a custom chip also been developed to allowing the device to \u201creplace iphone actions by commanding Siri.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good idea or not, Smart Pikachu says that Sweetpea could be the first AI gadget<\/a> we see from Altman and Ive\u2019s collaboration, with a projected release around September. After\u00a0Sweetpea, we could see even wackier hardware that may include a \u201chome-style device,\u201d as the leaker puts it, or\u2014and I\u2019m not making this up\u2014a pen? I guess, of the products potentially in the pipeline for Altman and Ive, Sweetpea sounds the most useful, but if I\u2019m being honest, these little earpieces are going to have to do more than just dupe AirPods\u2019 best features to make an impact.<\/p>\n

The fact of the matter is that people like wireless earbuds\u2014not only is the form factor familiar, proven, and cheap to make, but they also allow for stuff like active noise cancellation (ANC), which is a must-have if you live in a crowded city like me or if you ever fly on an airplane.<\/p>\n

Clearly, there\u2019s something in Sweetpea that we\u2019re not seeing yet, though. If Smart Pikachu\u2019s leaks are legit, the device using a 2nm chip says a lot\u2014mainly that it could be used as a standalone gadget that\u2019s not necessarily tethered to a phone. Whether anyone wants that type of hardware is another question entirely. Just like wireless earbuds, people also like their phones, and if you want to see how the whole unseating the phone with AI train is chugging along, I\u2019d point you to the heaping wreck that is Humane and its failed Ai Pin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Either way, it looks like we\u2019ll have more premium AI gadgets to ogle soon enough\u2014that is, if the tandem ever manages to get its computers\u2014ya know\u2014computing.<\/a><\/p>\n