OpenAI now anticipates its first hardware device won’t ship to customers until the end of February 2027, a delay revealed in a Monday court filing as part of a trademark dispute with startup Iyo. The revised timeline pushes back the previously expected product reveal, initially slated for the second half of 2026, as shared by the company’s chief global affairs officer at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month.
The admission came in a sworn statement from Peter Welinder, OpenAI’s vice president and general manager, submitted to the court. Welinder stated the company expects its “first hardware device will not ship to customers before the end of February 2027,” according to filings reviewed by multiple news outlets. Business Insider first reported the news.
The delay stems from a legal battle with Iyo, which sued OpenAI last year over the “io” trademark. A temporary restraining order was issued in June 2023 preventing OpenAI from using the trademark, prompting the company to remove mentions of its partnership with Jony Ive’s hardware company, io Products, from its website and promotional materials. 9to5Mac detailed the initial legal action.
OpenAI announced its acquisition of Ive’s io Products in 2023 in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion. The company’s lawyers now argue that an April 2026 preliminary injunction hearing regarding the trademark is “both unnecessary and impractical” because OpenAI no longer intends to use the “io” name for its hardware products. According to the filing, OpenAI has “reevaluated the branding of their forthcoming hardware products in light of OpenAI’s existing brands.”
The secrecy surrounding the project has fueled speculation about the device’s form factor, with theories ranging from earbuds to smart glasses. OpenAI dismissed a video circulating over the weekend, purporting to show a teaser for the new device, as “totally fake.” A Reddit post claiming the video was a shelved advertisement featuring actor Alexander Skarsgård promoting earbuds was subsequently deleted. CNBC reported on OpenAI’s response to the leaked video and the scrubbing of Ive-related content from its website.
Although OpenAI has abandoned the “io” branding, it remains unclear whether the company still plans to unveil the device later this year prior to the February 2027 shipping target. An OpenAI spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. MacRumors too covered the trademark dispute and the revised timeline.
