Crossed Wires: ‘The coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen’

“The coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.”

So says Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, effectively quickening the pulse by butting up “coolest” against the fancy tense-wrangling “will have” and the stretchy adverb “ever”. Pray tell, what is this marvellous future technology of which Mr Altman speaks? When? Where? What?

Sadly, the details are left somewhat vague because Sam Altman knows a thing or two about fuelling the hype machine, but the entire affair is enticing because it is connected to a man named Jony Ive. Most people outside of tech have never heard of him, but for insiders he is something of a god.

The genesis of Altman’s enthusiasm stems from the fact that last week Ive’s company, called io (yes, all lowercase), was acquired by OpenAI. It paid $6.4-billion, which is a staggering sum for a company that launched in 2024. The big story behind the deal is that it suggests what the future of consumer AI might look like.

Read more: Crossed Wires: AI — yeah, but is it art?

Ask anyone to identify the genius behind Apple and the answer will always be Steve Jobs. Some might give equal credit to Jobs’ early partner Steve Wozniak, the engineer who built the first few versions of the Apple computer from the ground up and without whom there would never have been anything at all.

Then there was Jony Ive. An industrial designer from the UK, he arrived at Apple in 1992 (the company was formed in 1976) and was responsible for Apple’s first breakout product design. It was the iMac, with its globular shape and a choice of colourful translucent shell housings, the first USB port and the shedding of the ubiquitous floppy disk. Every other PC was a drab industrial grey, a rectangular affair that reeked of engineering. The iMac glowed with coolness and style and has been credited with saving the company, which was struggling for consumer traction at the time.

This was the beginning of Apple’s startling string of hits – perfect marriages of design and engineering that have lasted for decades. The iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, the MacBook Air, the Apple Watch and the Apple Store were all designed by Jony Ive, making him the most celebrated industrial designer of our times.

His genius has been much studied. In short, he has an obsessive passion for simplicity, minimalism and the best possible user experience. You can see it in all these products. There is nothing extraneous; they are a marvel to behold and (with a few exceptions) a joy to use – which is part of the reason why Apple products attract such a price premium.

Garlanded with accolades, Ive left Apple in 2019 and returned to the UK to start a successful industrial design company called LoveFrom, whose design projects extended well beyond computer products (Ferrari cars, for instance).

And then came ChatGPT and the birth of “GenAI” – blasted out of the silo of a company called OpenAI in 2022. As everyone now knows, what you get is a single interface, a little prompt window in which you are invited to ask the AI a question or give it a task – not exactly a Jony Ive dream product.

Which might explain why Altman and OpenAI have swooped in and bought Ive’s newly formed company io; it is a hardware startup founded in 2024 with the explicit goal of reimagining how we might interact with artificial intelligence.

Here are a couple of other choice quotes from Altman when he announced the deal to OpenAI staff. “Overflowing with hyperbole” would be an understatement:

“The opportunity to achieve the largest milestone we’ve ever reached as a company.” (I would have thought that the first public release of ChatGPT might qualify, but OK).

“The biggest thing we’ve ever done as a company here.” (Bigger than ChatGPT?)

“The most concentrated collection of talent [ever assembled].” (Fifty-five engineers are arriving with the acquisition – this must be some special crew.)

“The deepest thinker [Altman has ever encountered].” (Ive, of course).

“[To] figure out how to create a family of devices that would let people use AI to create all sorts of wonderful things.” (And there you have it – the mission of the company.)

The first product launches in 2026, and what we know from reading between the lines is that it is intended to be a third “core” device for everyone, beyond PCs and smartphones. It will not be wearable (Ive is not a fan). It will be aware of its surrounding environment, which probably means it will have a camera, microphone, GPS and possibly some other sensors. It will not have a screen. It will fit in your pocket. It aspires to be more of a “friend” than a “tool”.

It is also expected (by Altman, who has seen the prototype) to be the fastest-selling consumer item in history.

I don’t know about you, but I am bursting with curiosity, as is most of the tech and consumer electronics world. Everyone loves a mystery, especially when there are a couple of clues, and there will be a lot of journalists channelling Hercule Poirot, at least until more is revealed. Mind you, with this kind of fanfare, the danger of disappointment looms large – reality almost never lives up to fancy hype.

But Ive and Altman? A dream team. I am rooting for them. DM

Steven Boykey Sidley is a professor of practice at JBS, University of Johannesburg and a partner at Bridge Capital and a columnist-at-large at Daily Maverick. His new book, It’s Mine: How the Crypto Industry is Redefining Ownership, is published by Maverick451 in SA and Legend Times Group in UK/EU, available now. His articles can be found on https://substack.com/@stevenboykeysidley.