OpenAI is gearing up for its first hardware product launch, possibly in the latter half of 2026. Chris Lehane, the company’s policy chief, shared this update at Axios House Davos, mentioning that while they aren't committing to a specific sale date, an unveiling is likely. Industry insiders had previously suggested a 2027 rollout, but any announcement this year would heighten anticipation. In tandem with this hardware development, Jony Ive's design team, io, has expanded by hiring Janum Trivedi, an Apple veteran known for his work on key iPadOS features like Split View and Drag & Drop. This move signals a strong push towards creating innovative hardware that leverages both OpenAI's AI capabilities and Ive’s design aesthetics. Sam Altman and Jony Ive have been collaborating since May on a family of AI hardware products, and recent reports indicate that they are focusing on audio-based hardware, with a prototype already in the works.