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OpenAI has launched its very first hardware project in the form of a keyboard worth $230, yet it's not the price that's shocked people but the timing as it comes just days after Apple officially raised a lawsuit against the leading AI company.
The lawsuit put forward by Apple alleges that former employees of the company – including some high level executives – have not only used their new positions at OpenAI to share hardware trade secrets, but have encouraged other former Apple employees to do so when poaching them from the tech giant.
While you might think of OpenAI as a software company with ChatGPT driving the vast majority of its focus, recent years have seen it reportedly start development for a new handheld device that some believe could break the smartphone industry.
Key to this was the acquisition of Products – a company co-founded by former key Apple employees Jony Ive and Tang Yew Tan – for $6.4 billion, yet little has actually been revealed about what form this mysterious new product could take.
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Apple's lawsuit could prove to be catastrophic for OpenAI – even without a successful verdict – as the company seeks to place a preliminary injunction on the AI titan's hardware development, alongside jeopardizing its impending Initial Public Offering (IPO), but that seemingly hasn't stopped the company from launching its new keyboard just days after the legal challenge was filed.
As reported by TechCrunch, the keyboard, named 'Codex Micro', was a co-project between OpenAI and speciality designer Work Louder, with its purpose geared towards agentic AI tasks.
"The kbd-1.0-codex-micro brings your agent workspace into reach," the product's description reads, adding that you can use it to "keep active chats close, spot what every agent is doing through live RGB feedback, and map your most-used Codex actions to tactile controls built for the way you actually ship."
One quick look at the gadget will let you see how it's not a traditional keyboard, taking on a square shape instead of a rectangular one and looking more akin to a macro pad than a peripheral you'd use to type.
It seems like it was a popular release, however, as at the time of writing it is completely sold out in both the 'Clicky' and 'Silent' switch options, giving OpenAI a major boost amid its ongoing hardware troubles.
This new keyboard also isn't the only new physical product that OpenAI has put on its shelves, as it launched new lines for its official merch shop that were inspired by the company's research and development.
You can buy a 'Codex' hat, a cobalt blue 'Good Research Takes Time' t-shirt, and even some matching cobalt-colored socks with the OpenAI logo printed on the side.
