OpenAI and Jony Ive are reportedly building a smart speaker – but will it sound good?
News recently surfaced that OpenAI – the company behind ChatGPT – is working on a smart speaker.
Information reported that Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief designer, is part of a 200-strong team behind a range of devices, which may include glasses and lights (both smart, of course).
Naturally, this involves watching what they do using a camera and digging into their schedules to – for example – suggest that you get the night before an early flight.
But let’s put aside the whole can of worms that is AI for now. One thing we’re wondering, and a necessity for a smart speaker in our opinion – will it sound good?
Trigger warning: like the tech bro entry below
Jony Ive has done wonders at Apple, there’s no denying that. He was responsible for the iPod, iPhone, AirPods, and, er, iPod Hi-Fi, the largely forgotten iPod dock.
But he may have had little to do with the sound quality of Apple products (which has been a mixed bag, although recent devices like the HomePod 2 and AirPods Pro 3 have earned five stars).
So perhaps the Amazon Echo range of smart speakers will be a close comparison? The OpenAI speaker is predicted to cost around $200-$300, which pits it against the $250 Echo Show 10 (third model).
Amazon’s Echo speakers are generally good, but the cheaper models get high scores in our test rooms. See our Echo Show 5 and Echo Dot (4th Gen and 5th Gen) reviews for proof.
These are also powerful speakers – all three are still on sale, and the third-generation Echo Show 10 has gone the way of the Amazon Fire Phone.
These cheap Amazon speakers sound really good – otherwise they wouldn’t get four or five stars. But that is always implied by the expression ‘for money’.
If OpenAI is going to ask nearly three times the price of the Echo Show 5 for a smart speaker, it’s going to have to sound three times better. And that’s a tall order for a company with no track record of making audio devices.
It sounds like an afterthought
My concern is that this will be an AI-heavy speaker with sound quality left as an afterthought. Although I think it should be the other way around.
Designing an audio device around AI is like building a car around heated seats. Yes, it would be nice to have a toast in the back, but that’s not why people choose one car over another. They want it to actually drive well.
I have two Echo speakers in my house, and while I use the voice controls, it’s mainly to play BBC 6 Music or a playlist on Apple Music. If I could remove the screen from my Echo Show in the kitchen, I would. It’s just another way for Amazon to serve me ads.
So, open OpenAI. You have seemingly unlimited money, advanced technology and the world’s best industrial designers all at your disposal. Let’s not have another iPod Hi-Fi.
MORE:
At that time… Apple iPod Hi-Fi Review
Most of what not to do: our Amazon Echo Dot Max review
This is similar to: the best smart speakers
