What a time to be alive—especially if you're in the business of making things that people actually want to touch, wear, and, well... use intimately.San Francisco-based Crave launched their latest edition of the Tease Necklace while doing something radical in our current trade war environment. Instead of the usual manufacturing shell game (where your "designed in California" product mysteriously appears from a factory you've never heard of), they're offering customers a choice:- Made in China - Assembled in USA - Fully Made in USASame product. Three different manufacturing stories. Full transparency on what each option actually means, and how much each option costs. The price breakdown on the Kickstarter page provides a quick eduction on supply chain economics. The Uncomfortable Truth About "Choice"When most brands talk about consumer choice, they mean colorways or storage tiers. This is different. This is helping customers understand how the sausage gets made—or in this case, how the vibrator gets manufactured.For design professionals, these choices are pretty well understood. When working in the gap between concept and reality, every material choice, every manufacturing process, every supply chain decision shapes the final product, often times in ways that marketing teams prefer to gloss over.Think about your last product launch. How much of the manufacturing complexity made it into the final story? How many compromises got buried under "premium materials" and "precision engineering"?Why This Matters Beyond the ObviousThe real innovation here isn't the product itself—it's the process transparency. In an industry where NDAs shroud everything from injection molding parameters to assembly line workflows, consumer honesty is an eye-opener.Communicating even part of the manufacturing story is a challenge for mose products and companies. Meanwhile, rising labor costs in China, reshoring initiatives, tariff uncertainties—the old playbook of "design here, make there" is getting complicated fast. Yet most companies are still operating like it's 2015, hoping their supply chain issues will magically resolve themselves.Crave is simply saying: "Here's how three different approaches to making the same thing actually work. You choose."The Design Lesson Hidden in Plain SightStrip away the provocative product category, and you're left with something fascinating: a masterclass in manufacturing communication. No corporate hedging about "exploring domestic production capabilities" or "optimizing our global footprint." Just three options, three stories, three different ways to navigate the current manufacturing reality.It's the kind of supply chain transparency that B2B companies spend millions trying to achieve through "digital transformation" initiatives and "end-to-end visibility platforms." Yet here it is, demonstrated through a piece of intimate jewelry that most procurement teams would blush discussing.The Uncomfortable QuestionsIf a small firm can offer this level of manufacturing choice and transparency, why can't larger companies? Is it really about scale and complexity, or is it about corporate comfort zones?More pointedly: What other uncomfortable truths about our manufacturing processes are we avoiding? How much of our "Designed in [insert prestigious location]" storytelling is really just geographic marketing?In a world where every other product claims to be "thoughtfully designed" and "consciously made," actual transparency feels revolutionary. Sometimes the most important design lessons come from the most unexpected places. The Tease Vibrator Necklace is currently live on Kickstarter, with 47 days to go on the "All-Or-Nothing" funding campaign.

When George R.R. Martin crafted the world of Westeros back in the 90s, he probably didn’t think his words would go on to spawn graphic novels, TV shows, action figures, video games, and more. Moreover, I doubt the author expected his works to be adapted into a mobile-friendly action-RPG built to prioritize predatory microtransactions over the rich lore he’d spent decades perfecting. Yet in 2025, we have Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, a visually striking open-world exploration game that looks compelling in motion, but hones in more on menus and currency than fantasy adventure. And, as you push deeper into its sizable campaign to uncover a plethora of in-game currencies and progress-halting hurdles, the neo-medieval jaunt starts to feel more like a lesson in asset management than a thoughtful RPG. Kingsroad takes place during season four of the HBO TV series, putting you in the fur-lined boots of a northern-born bastard of House Tyre. With your father sickly and your inheritance caught up in the strict succession rules of the realm, the only hope for the safety of your people is to borrow, beg, and steal your way into the hearts of the lords and ladies of Westeros. Naturally, things aren’t as simple as just asking, and you’ll have to go round the houses (literally) to solve land disputes, find missing soldiers, and knock together the heads of vassal-house warriors on your way to earning your flowers. Alongside a cavalcade of curious NPCs, there are also White Walkers, mythical beasts, and traitorous Boltons to butt heads with. Thankfully, Westeros’ misfortune makes for an enticing landing pad for you to start from. PlayBefore you dive into the cobbled streets and open roads of Westeros, though, you’ll first need to pick a combat archetype to play as: a brutish Sellsword, a skilful Knight, or a nimble Assassin. Fuelled by my love of Brienne of Tarth and Dungeons & Dragons’ Barbarian class, I opted for the axe-wielding Sellsword, whose heavy strikes can easily wind gaggles of enemy forces. Indecisive? Good news: Kingsroad does allow you to switch between archetypes at any time, and your inventory is shared across your three possible characters, so you can boost your alts with your main’s hard-earned loot. That said, I was disappointed to find that once you finalise a character, you can’t delete them and start that class over, or change their name, a feature that bit me in the butt when testing how unsightly I could make my Knight. With your combat destiny chosen, Kingsroad’s decently impressive character creator lets you use a mixture of face-contorting sliders and colour-pickers to specialise your plucky hero. It doesn’t have the depth of something like Dragon’s Dogma 2 (although that’s an admittedly high bar), but I am glad I was able to bestow my characters with an identity that felt personal to me – which is to say moody, and tastefully adorned with smudgy eyeliner and edgy facial scars. You'll explore an impressively recreated map of Westeros.“Kingsroad wastes no time teaching you the basics of its combat and platforming with a tight but comprehensive tutorial, which takes you beyond the wall and back again. That’s where you’ll meet the first of many familiar faces for any fans of the show, as Jon Snow and Samwell Tarley do a decent job of filling in the narrative gaps for those in need of a season four recap. While the digital renditions of these well-known characters aren’t the most flattering, their conversations felt thoughtfully written and helped to establish my lowborn place within the setting. Soon enough, though, Kingsroad lets go of your hand and allows you to roam free across the countryside, providing a choice of campaign quests and side missions to follow, as well as plenty of points of interest to chase on your map. The open world of Kingsroad gave me the freedom to explore this (mostly) faithfully reimagined Westeros, and I enjoyed riding across snowy plateaus and uncovering the secrets of curious stone architecture nestled on the horizon. But the initial exhilaration of high fantasy galavanting wore off quickly as the edges of developer Netmarble’s fantasy panopticon started to show. For every delicate snowflake at Castle Black or butterfly dancing in Winterfell, there were plenty more low-poly fruit trees, bouncy grass patches, and possessed weapons to pick at the sheen. I admire the sheer scale of the open world Kingsroad is offering, but it’s lacking the visual consistency to make it realistic and immersive. As I soon noticed those cracks in the facade, Kingsroad started to feel like a game full of pulled punches, despite how promising it seemed at a distance.This lack of polish extends to your movement on both foot and horseback – ice skating would be the most fitting comparison. When exploring the frosty reaches of the North, this sensation is strangely fitting. However, it became wholly frustrating when it persisted while charting the sunny coastal areas near Highgarden, especially when attempting to complete the occasional platforming puzzles dotted around the icon-covered map. Typically, I was only one slip away from falling down an unscalable hillside, or worse, into a camp of fierce opponents with no way out. Up close, the animations also err on the eerie side in cutscenes. My character would often deliver a wide-eyed death stare, and I couldn't take them seriously as they’d burn holes in the townsfolk’s skulls as they explained their heart wrenching tragedies.Memorable characters surface as uncanny valley clones of themselves.“Speaking of the citizens of Westeros, their heads and eyes wobble around like strange marionettes during conversations, which dampens the atmosphere considerably. It’s a shame, because their dialogue does a great job of affirming the grim, corrupt cloud that hangs over the continent as winter approaches. I felt particularly bad laughing when an old lady thanked me for saving her daughter from being eaten by Ramsay Bolton’s dogs. Unfortunately, the most egregious offenders are often Kingsroad’s recreations of characters from the show. Memorable players, like Nymeria Sand and Varys, surface as uncanny valley clones of their likenesses. I’ll be seeing yassifed Cersei in my nightmares for many moons to come…Beyond exploration, the bulk of your time in Kingsroad is split between investing in complex resource management systems at your homestead and completing multi-stage quests and battles out in the world. As such, you can find a plethora of challenges that boost both of these areas, like dungeon crawls, bandit camps, occupied villages, and giant mythical beasts, all of which reward you handsomely for spilling blood by the gallon. How efficiently you blend your time between these two aspects is integral to maintaining a solid pace within the grind-heavy progression system – alas, a lack of technical balance makes succeeding in this endeavour profoundly painful.Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Gameplay ScreenshotsThe trouble begins with the combat, which is a total mixed bag. While your actions feel pleasantly grounded, and rugged blows always arrive with flashy particle-heavy animations, the process begins to feel overfamiliar fast. Despite the solid variety of moves available – light, heavy, and special attacks, as well as decent dodge and parry options – inaccurate hit boxes consistently hampered my attempts at strategy. Occasionally, I would need to use my head a little and skulk around an area to remove edge threats, though those tactical moments arrived few and far between. It says something unflattering that Kingsroad feels almost identical at 60 hours as it did at 20. You can specialise and upgrade your moveset in combat with traits and skill trees, too, but they do little to impact how the combat feels in motion. Kingsroad gives the impression of having useful Traits by putting options like learning to parry and crafting arrows up at the top of the trees, but as you work your way down, many of the lower options offer small percentage-based improvements to defense and attack that barely make a dent. So as your sparkly slashes lose their lustre, you’re often left cycling through the same few enemies and combos until the battle is won. It seems as though the architecture of a solid combat system is there, but much like the rest of Kingsroad, it’s all facade with no foundation. What hampers the fun most are the frequent and appropriately-named Momentum roadblocks.“Still, what hampers the fun of Kingsroad most of all are the frequently appearing and appropriately-named Momentum roadblocks. Similar to Destiny’s Gear Score, Kingsroad tallies up the quality of all your equipment, accessories, and skills into one neat number called your Momentum Score. These pesky little digits are the cruel gatekeepers of story content, forcing you to scour the map for dull side objectives that can juice the numbers and shuffle you towards the next episode. While I’m more than happy to invest in grind-heavy games like World of Warcraft Classic and no stranger to mobile-minded progress gating, the Momentum system in Kingsroad is a particularly brutish arbiter that doesn’t allow you to get crafty or punch above your weight by taking on more challenging enemies. Instead, imposing forces appear with a skull icon over their head, their damage and health ratings untouchably high. But as soon as you inch over the Momentum line, the fight shifts dramatically in your favour. This black and white process neutralises any sense of gamesmanship, and frequently forced me into hours of toil to get back to the story I was, for the most part, enjoying. Sarah's favourite fantasy jauntsSee AllWhen you’re ready to take some time out from the combat, you can invest more in the slower-paced aspects of Kingsroad, namely the tedious Estate Management side game. As the last remaining heir to Lord Tyre, his homestead, Renan’s Rest, becomes your project. As is to be expected, helping this dilapidated village flourish rewards you with the tools necessary to beef up your arsenal, and gives you a place to spend all those resources you’ve been hoarding by completing missions – though the process of cleaning up this town is about as much fun as cleaning your actual room.While the jeweller and the forge are convenient additions that allow you to craft wearable items, the most valuable activity is embarking on gacha-based Artefact Expeditions. You’ll spend resources to hire workers and send them into the wild to find more resources, as well as historical items called Relics you can then leverage to further bolster your Momentum. Similar to other gacha game systems, you’re guaranteed a high-quality item after a set amount of runs, but a standard expedition takes eight actual hours to complete, which is a frustrating turnaround when not every run guarantees a good haul. That is, unless you’re willing to pay real money to speed things up. The Story Continues - Live Service UpdatesPlayWhile it took me roughly 60 hours to complete the story missions that were available at Game of Thrones: Kingsroad’s 1.0 launch (in part thanks to the benefit of the Ultimate Founder’s Pack code we were provided for this review), once you finish up, it doesn’t really “end” and you can seek out the plethora of side quests and repeatable combat challenges across the map. While there isn’t an official roadmap for what’s on the horizon, Netmarble announced during its 1.0 release Dev Note that the team will continue to add content and make technical improvements as time goes on. Alongside the Battle Pass, there are also timed Events that offer additional goalposts and ask you to complete a series of challenges to earn further rewards. Continued support is always good, and here’s hoping things like the floaty movement and inconsistent animations might eventually get the polish they need, but I’m skeptical that much can be done to fix Kingsroad’s biggest issues without a complete rework of its economy and progression. For example, the new quests that were already added post-launch should’ve been enticing, but instead they pushed the finish line absurdly far out of sight – by my rough estimate, I would need to play more than twice what I already have just to reach the Momentum Score required to take them on (without spending any money), and that’s despite the fact that this new content seems to follow the exact same loop of mission types already used across the rest of the campaign. Thanks, but I’m good.That brings us to the elephant in the room. Almost every activity in Kingsroad can be expedited with the use of cold hard cash, which translates to Iron Bank Marks in-game. Of course, you can pay to complete an aforementioned expedition early, or buy higher-rarity expedition wagons by the dozen that don’t take time to complete. Stuck behind a Momentum block? Just purchase Gold to speedrun your jewellery maker’s upgrades and smelt higher-rated necklaces and rings to jolt your score. Typically, you can only fast travel by making your way to a special signpost first, and there’s a copper fee for each warp – but you can fast travel from anywhere for free if you pay for the premium option. Behind nearly every aggravating system in Kingsroad is a far more user-friendly one, but only if you’re willing to cough up the dough. It seems intent to toe the line between being intentionally frustrating and passably functional, subtly egging you on to pay up rather than sit through the repetitive, time-consuming activities necessary to proceed. While it’s to be expected that there will be premium aspects in a free-to-play game available on mobile devices (in addition to Steam), the overwhelming flood of paid subscriptions, resource packs, and confounding currencies feels like a heartbreaking affront to Game of Thrones fans, like myself, who have been begging for a fully-fledged Westeros RPG similar to this. Across the 60 hours I’ve played so far, I’ve felt guilty for slashing down innocent defectors and filled with joy for feeding the starving smallfolk. It's clear Netmarble wants you to feel like you’re making a difference in this world, but it’s also just as keen to remind you that you can make a difference quicker if you’re willing to enter your credit card details first. It’s sad to see so much effort put into the underlying concept of a Game of Thrones adventure like this only for it to be tarnished by microtransactions and the repetitive gameplay loops that enable them.

Metallic finishes are taking centre stage in interior design, from the warm glow of brass and copper to the minimalist look of chrome. These reflective materials infuse any space with texture, depth, and a sense of understated luxury. When thoughtfully incorporated in different areas of the home, these metals introduce a dynamic play of light and dimension, enhancing the look of contemporary and classic interiors. If you want to add glamour to any space, metallic accents in gold, silver, and copper can be incorporated into your home decor with these few simple tips: 1. Choose the Right Metal Brass and copper add a warm, inviting feel, making them ideal for smaller spaces or as striking accents. In contrast, chrome delivers a sleek, modern look that can either take centre stage or provide a cool counterpoint to warmer tones. To incorporate metallic accents effectively, be clear about the style and mood you want to accomplish. This clarity will guide your choice of finishes and the scale of each piece. Metallic finishes not only elevate the sophistication of a space but also enhance brightness and openness through their reflective nature, creating a more uplifting atmosphere. Inspired by the Japanese art of ikebana, the Modular Flower Tubes offer a contemporary interpretation rooted in simplicity and elegance. At the heart of this piece are slender copper tubes of varying heights, which can be freely repositioned within a solid wooden base. The design encourages experimentation, allowing users to create ever-changing floral compositions that reflect personal style and seasonal shifts. Click Here to Buy Now: $149.00 The standout feature is the copper finish, which evolves beautifully over time. As the metal ages, it develops a rich patina that adds depth, texture, and a sense of living history to the arrangement. This transformation honours the wabi-sabi philosophy, like appreciating beauty in imperfection and transience. The warm metallic tones contrast gently with the natural wood base, creating a harmonious balance of materiality. Together, they elevate floral display into a sculptural experience, blending traditional reverence for nature with modern, modular functionality. 2. Start with a Statement Metal Choose a primary metal, such as a brass bed frame or centre table, and then complement it with one or two additional metals like chrome lamps to add depth and visual interest. Mixing metals intentionally adds elegance and depth to a space, while sticking to one finish can make it feel flat and one-dimensional. Note that an excess of metal mixing can make a space feel cluttered. Therefore, it is best to stick to one or two metals in smaller rooms and no more than two to three in larger spaces. Make sure to select one dominant metal to carry the room, using the others as accents. This brass vase concept reimagines the traditional purpose of flower vases, shifting focus from preservation to celebrating beauty at every stage of a plant’s life. Rather than simply holding flowers, it embraces the concept of aging gracefully, with the brass developing a unique patina over time. This natural process adds character and individuality to the piece, reflecting the beauty of imperfection and the retro aesthetic that is so prevalent today. The vase’s form breaks from tradition, featuring a ribbon-like metal strip that curves into a knot, eliminating the need for a water-holding receptacle. Its minimalist design allows dried flowers to be showcased just as elegantly as fresh ones, prolonging their aesthetic value. By emphasizing the beauty in the natural process of aging, this vase encourages a shift away from the obsession with “new,” proving that even the passage of time can add to the beauty and significance of design. 3. Versatile and Functional Uses Incorporate metals throughout the space in various ways, such as choosing lamps with brass bases, chandeliers with chrome details, or pendant lights with copper finishes. You can also update hardware like door knobs, cabinet handles, or drawer pulls with metallic finishes such as gold, silver, or copper. Beyond accessories and accents, metals can be introduced through furniture by selecting pieces with metal accents, such as coffee tables, side tables, or decorative objects. Add brass or copper elements through light fixtures, faucets, and accessories, and use brass-framed mirrors to introduce warmth and texture. This striking stool uses a single sheet of steel, bent to mimic soft fabric draped over wooden rods, creating a stunning visual illusion. At first glance, the flowing curves resemble suspended textile in linen or canvas frozen mid-air, yet the piece is entirely metal. This illusion is achieved through precision bending and minimal waste, showcasing metal’s versatility and the elegance of simplicity in modern design. The brushed steel finish enhances the illusion, capturing light and shadow like real fabric folds while maintaining structural strength. Contrasting maple rods anchor the design, evoking ancient scrolls and adding warmth. One elevated edge functions as a handy side table, blending form with utility. This stool exemplifies how contemporary furniture can merge metal’s industrial edge with sculptural grace, offering tactile richness and visual intrigue in equal measure. 4. Balance Warm and Cool Tones Metals play a key role in shaping the temperature and lighting of a room. Combining warm metals like brass or copper with cool tones like chrome or stainless steel creates a striking contrast, while pairing them with natural materials like wood or stone adds balance and harmony. For instance, the soft glow of brass is especially highlighted by candlelight, and introducing copper accents into chrome-dominated interiors adds a striking contrast in larger spaces. In smaller spaces, metals not only serve as decorative elements but also reflect light, making the room appear brighter and more embellished. Waxy Design Studio’s Pearl Chandelier reimagines elegance through a refined interplay of metal and light. Comprising 20 curved metal sconces arranged in a circular frame, each conceals a pearl-shaped bulb, evoking the image of oysters cradling precious gems. Available in black or white exteriors, the chandelier contrasts beautifully with its rich golden metal interiors and frame, creating a luxurious, jewel-like effect. The gold finish amplifies the light’s warmth, turning the fixture into a glowing statement piece that recalls a necklace suspended from the ceiling. The metal finish plays a pivotal role in the chandelier’s visual impact. Its smooth, reflective surfaces capture and scatter light both upward and downward, adding dimension and atmosphere to any space. The combination of precision-cut metal sheets and warm metallic tones not only ensures structural elegance but also elevates the chandelier from functional lighting to sculptural art. It’s a sophisticated fusion of craftsmanship, material contrast, and ambient beauty. 5. Styling Metals by Design Contrasting metals bring depth and visual interest to interiors, complementing a variety of design styles and colour schemes. Classic décor often includes gold, bronze, and brass in elements like lamps and mirror frames, while modern spaces favour the sleek appeal of chrome and stainless steel. Vintage styles mix brass and copper with wood to create a warm, rustic charm. Incorporating metals into architectural details such as handrails, wall or ceiling panels, and skirting boards offers a subtle yet impactful way to introduce luxury and modernity. Blending these metallic elements with the interiors ensures a cohesive and well-balanced look while adding texture and sophistication to any space. This sculptural chair stands out as a fusion of art and furniture design, instantly commanding attention with its bold, golden finish and raw, textured surface. More than a functional object, it serves as a visual statement, blending the rustic unpredictability of geological formations with the elegance of molten metal. Its irregular, chiseled form rejects traditional symmetry, evoking the look of a throne carved from natural elements. This dramatic aesthetic challenges conventional design, making the piece both avant-garde and timeless. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the chair appears to be made from metal – possibly aluminium or a lightweight alloy – treated with a gold finish through leafing, metallic paint, or plating. The deep textures suggest hand-hammering or casting techniques, showcasing the craftsmanship behind its rugged elegance. Symbolically, the piece evokes power and presence, turning any space into a stage for bold expression. It’s a striking example of how furniture can transcend utility and become a powerful form of artistic narrative. Using these approaches, interior designers have shifted from the uniform use of minimalistic chrome to blending metals for a more organic and luxurious feel. This method of layering of metals brings a sense of timeless comfort and elegance into the interior decor.The post 5 Ways To Transform Your Home with Warm Metallics: The Interior Design Trend That’s Here to Stay first appeared on Yanko Design.

The leaders of OpenAI and Google have been living rent-free in each other’s heads since ChatGPT caught the world by storm. Heading into this week’s I/O, Googlers were on edge about whether Sam Altman would try to upstage their show like last year, when OpenAI held an event the day before to showcase ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode. This time, OpenAI dropped its bombshell the day after.OpenAI buying the “io” hardware division of Jony Ive’s design studio, LoveFrom, is a delightfully petty bit of SEO sabotage, though I’m told the name stands for “input output” and was decided a while ago. Even still, the news of Ive and Altman teaming up quickly shifted the conversation away from what was a strong showing from Google at this year’s I/O. The dueling announcements say a lot about what are arguably the world’s two foremost AI companies: Google’s models may be technically superior and more widely deployed, but OpenAI is kicking everyone’s ass at capturing mindshare and buzz. Speaking of buzz, it’s worth looking past the headlines to what OpenAI actually announced this week: it’s paying $6.5 billion in equity to hire roughly 55 people from LoveFrom, including ex-Apple design leaders Evans Hankey, Tang Tan, and Scott Cannon. They’ll report to Peter Welinder, a veteran OpenAI product leader who reports directly to Altman. The rest of LoveFrom’s designers, including legends like Mike Matas, are staying put with Ive, who is currently designing the first-ever electric Ferrari and advising the man who introduced him to Altman, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. OpenAI’s press release says Ive and LoveFrom “will assume deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI.”When LoveFrom’s existing client work is wrapped up, Ive and his design team plan to focus solely on OpenAI while staying independent. OpenAI, meanwhile, already has open “future of computing” roles for others to join the io team it brought over. One job listing for a senior research engineer says the ideal candidate has already “spent time in the weeds teaching models to speak and perceive.” (Total compensation: $460K to $555K plus equity.)The rough timeline that led up to this moment goes as follows: Altman and Ive met two years ago and decided to officially work on hardware together this time last year. The io division was set up at LoveFrom to work with a small group of OpenAI employees. OpenAI and Laurene Powell Jobs invested in the effort toward the end of 2024, when there were quiet talks of raising hundreds of millions of dollars to make it a fully standalone company. (The OpenAI startup fund, which is bizarrely not owned by OpenAI, also invested around this time.) Importantly, Ive ended his consulting relationship with Apple in 2022, the year before he met Altman. That deal was highly lucrative for Ive, but kept him from working on products that could compete with Apple’s. Now, Ive and Altman are teaming up to announce what I expect to be a voice-first AI device later next year. Early prototypes of the device exist (Altman mentioned taking one home in his promo video with Ive). Altman told OpenAI employees this week that it will be able to sit on a desk or be carried around. Supply chain rumors suggest it will be roughly the size of an iPod Shuffle and also be worn like a necklace. Like just about every other big hardware company, Ive and Altman have also been working on AI earbuds. Altman is set on bundling hardware as an upsell for ChatGPT subscriptions and envisions a suite of AI-first products that help lessen the company’s reliance on Apple and Google for distribution. With his Apple relationship in the rear-view mirror, Ive now seems set on unseating the company he helped build. Google, meanwhile, was firing on all cylinders this week. AI Mode in Google Search is being rolled out widely. Its product strategy is still disjointed compared to OpenAI’s, but it’s starting to leverage the immense amount of personal data it has on people to differentiate what Gemini can do. If Gemini can hook into Gmail, Workspace, YouTube, etc., in a way that people want to use, it will likely keep many people from shifting to ChatGPT — just like Meta did to Snapchat with Stories in Instagram. After meeting with Google employees up and down the org chart, I came away from I/O with the feeling that the company doesn’t see a catastrophe on the horizon like a lot of outsiders. There’s a recognition that the ability to buy out distribution for search on Apple devices is probably coming to a close, but Gemini is approaching 500 million monthly users. ChatGPT is undoubtedly eating into search (it’s impossible to get Google execs to comment on the actual health of query volume), but Google has shown a willingness to modernize search faster than I expected. The situation differs from Apple, which isn’t competitive in the model race and is suffering from the kind of political infighting that Google mostly worked through over the last couple of years.There’s also no question that Google is well-positioned to continue leading on the frontier of model development. The latest Gemini models are very good, and Google is clearly positioning its AI for a post-phone world with Project Astra. The company also has the compute to roll out tools like the impressive new Veo video model, while OpenAI’s Sora remains heavily gated due to GPU constraints. It’s still quite possible that ChatGPT’s growth continues unabated while Gemini struggles to become a household name. That would be a generational shift in how people use technology that would hurt Google’s business over the long term. For now, though, it looks like Google might be okay. ElsewhereAnthropic couldn’t sit this week out either. The company held an event on Thursday in San Francisco to debut its Claude 4 models, which it claims are the world’s best for coding. With OpenAI, Google, and Meta all battling to win the interface layer of AI, Anthropic is positioning itself as the model arms dealer of choice. It was telling that Windsurf, which is in talks to sell to OpenAI, was seemingly intentionally left out of getting day-one access to the new models. “If models are countries, this is the equivalent of a trade ban,” Nathan Benaich wrote on X. (Also, what does it say about the state of the industry when the supposed safety-first AI lab is releasing models that it knows want to blackmail people?) Microsoft Build was overshadowed by protests. There were several interesting announcements at Build this week, including Elon Musk’s Grok model coming to Azure and Microsoft’s bet on how to evolve the plumbing of the web for AI agents. All of that was overshadowed by protestors who kept disrupting the company’s keynotes to protest the business it does with Israel. The situation has gotten so tense that Microsoft tried unsuccessfully to block the ability for employees to send internal emails with the words “Palestine,” “Gaza,” and “Genocide.” I tried Google’s smart glasses prototype. I spent about five minutes wearing the reference design prototype of Google’s new smart glasses. They had a small, low-res waveguide in the center of each lens that showed voice interactions with Gemini, a basic version of Google Maps directions, and photos I took. They were… fine? Google knows this tech is super early and that full AR glasses are still years away. In the meantime, it’s smart of them to partner with Warby Parker, Gentle Monster, and Kering to put Android XR in glasses that I expect to start coming out next year. With Apple now planning a similar pair of AI-powered glasses in 2026, Meta’s window of being the only major player in the space is closing.Personnel logYouTube hired Justin Connolly from Disney as its head of media and sports, a move that Disney is suing over. Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno is stepping down. Her role will now be overseen by parent company Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff. Vladimir Fedorov, a longtime Meta engineering exec, joined Github as CTO.Will Robinson, Coinbase’s former VP of engineering, has joined Plaid as CTO.Stephen Deadman, Meta’s VP of data protection in Europe, is leaving due to “structural changes.”Link listMore to click on:If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to The Verge, which includes unlimited access to Command Line and all of our reporting.As always, I welcome your feedback, especially if you have thoughts on this issue, an opinion about stackable simulations, or a story idea to share. 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OpenAI on Wednesday announced that it was paying $6.5 billion to buy io, a one-year-old start-up created by Jony Ive. While the company remains tightlipped about the futuristic AI device(s) it has in the works, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared some alleged details about its design. MacRumors reports: In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" than Humane's discontinued AI Pin. He said the device will look "as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle," which was Apple's lowest-priced, screen-less iPod. The design of the iPod shuffle varied over the years, going from a compact rectangle to a square. Like the iPod shuffle, Kuo said OpenAI's device will not have a screen, but it would connect to smartphones and computers. The device will be equipped with microphones for voice control, and it will have cameras that can analyze the user's surroundings. He said that users will be able to wear the device around their necks, like a necklace, whereas the AI Pin can be attached to clothing with a clip. Kuo expects OpenAI's device to enter mass production in 2027, and the final design and specifications might change before then. Kuo expects OpenAI's device to enter mass production in 2027, and the final design and specifications might change before then. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The last 48 hours have been a wild rollercoaster ride for AI hardware. On Tuesday, Google ended its I/O keynote — a roughly two-hour event with copious references to AI — with its vision for Android XR glasses. That included flashy partnerships with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, as well as the first hands-on opportunity with its prototype glasses for the developers and the majority of tech media alike. On the ground, it was among the buzziest things to come out of Google I/O — a glimpse of what Big Tech thinks is the winning AI hardware formula.A day later, Jony Ive and Sam Altman kicked down the door and told Google, “Hold my beer.”If you’ve somehow missed the headlines, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that the company was buying Ive’s AI hardware startup for $6.5 billion. That alone was enough to set the tech media sphere ablaze. After all, Ive is the legendary figure behind the iPhone and Apple Watch’s iconic design, revered for his relationship to Steve Jobs. Altman is not only the most recognizable figure in this new AI era, he’s also frequently compared to Jobs himself. It’s a narrative that writes itself. But for gadget nerds, the real nugget was the tidbit that Altman had seen an actual prototype from Ive. They coyly dropped hints that this mystery gadget would be to AI what the iPhone was to mobile computing. It was, they implied, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. That in turn set everyone hunting for clues and leaks about what this device could possibly be.RelatedHere’s what we know so far. In a leaked call reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Altman told OpenAI staffers it’s not a phone, or glasses — the form factor that Meta and Google are betting big on. Altman also indicated that Ive wasn’t keen on a device that had to be wearable. It would be part of a “family of devices,” screenless, and a “third core” gadget outside of your phone and laptop. It’s something that can be stuck into your pocket but also displayed on your desk. Altman has described the prototype as one of the coolest pieces of technology ever, while Ive also threw shade at the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1, the two biggest AI hardware flops of 2024.It’s enough to make any gadget nerd scream.Right now, we’ve entered what I’d call the spaghetti phase of AI hardware. Big Tech and smaller gadget makers alike are throwing anything and everything at the wall to see what sticks. Silicon Valley wants generative AI on your devices. It’s just that no one agrees on what’s the best approach, or what people would actually pay for and use. You could also view it like the board game Clue, except instead of murder suspects, rooms, and weapons, we’re all trying to guess who’s going to crack the code in terms of form factor, company, and use cases. Is it Samsung with Project Moohan in your living room as you ask Gemini to take you to Tokyo? Meta with its Ray-Ban glasses on a Thai beach as its Live AI feature translates a drinks menu? Bee or Plaud in a boardroom, diligently summarizing action items from your meeting? Or maybe it’s Ive and Altman — with whatever this prototype will do in whatever scenarios we’re meant to use it.Meta has been vocal about how smart glasses are the ideal form factor for AI hardware. Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeAn educated guess right now would need to include a few key elements, combined with a good-faith reading of what’s been leaked. (Of course, acknowledging that Ive in particular is a whiz at cheeky misdirection.) There are a few things AI gadgets have had in common thus far:CamerasSpeakersMicrophonesBatteriesSome kind of internet connectivityPortabilityThese are the ingredients needed to enable multimodal AI — as in, a device that can see what you see, access a large language model, be with you wherever you go, interact with you to answer questions, and last long enough to be useful in a variety of scenarios. Given these parameters, it’s no surprise that Big Tech has largely landed on wearable gadgets, particularly glasses and pins. The thing most players in this space can’t agree on is whether the average person will want a display. So far, Ive and Altman don’t seem to think so.Right after the news broke, I suspected this meant some kind of headphone or a mini portable speaker scenario. Then earlier today, notable supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the current prototype is “slightly larger than the AI Pin, with a form factor as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle.” A potential use case involves you wearing it around the neck, that there’ll be cameras and microphones, and that it will connect with smartphones and computers.Now imagine this, but with a camera and perhaps slightly longer with a pinch of Ive design. That’s what I’m betting on. Image: PlaudThat leads me to believe we’re talking about something that’s a mix between the Plaud NotePin and the AI Pin. Plaud’s device can be worn in various ways, including as a necklace, is pill-shaped, and gives off a sleek, compact vibe. Meanwhile, the Humane AI Pin had a camera, speaker, microphone, and the Apple-esque elegance in terms of design. (Even if it violated nearly almost every tenet of good wearable design, got too hot to wear comfortably, and required an expensive LTE subscription.) In some ways, that means we’re kind of talking about an always-listening, smart body cam (that could also be a decorative item on your desk).I could be completely off-base. I’m holding space for Ive and Altman to have not only reinvented the wheel, but redefined the next era of mobile computing. And that ambiguity is kind of the point. We don’t know — and according to leaks, probably won’t until late 2026 or 2027. That’s just enough time to dangle a few tantalizing tidbits, drum up curiosity and hype, and crucially, build anticipation that will possibly be sweeter than whatever it is they eventually launch. Strategically, it also lets Ive and Altman throw rivals off their game — make us all question, are smart glasses really the best vehicle for AI?In other words, this is the fun part where anything is possible.See More:

After what felt like an age of tech industry tea-leaf reading, OpenAI has officially snapped up “io,” the much-buzzed-about startup building an AI device from former Apple design guru Jony Ive and OpenAI’s chief, Sam Altman. The price tag? $6.5 billion.OpenAI put out a video this week talking about the Ive and Altman venture in a general sort of way, but now, a few more tidbits about what they’re actually cooking have slipped out.And what are they planning with all that cash and brainpower? Well, the eagle-eyed folks at The Washington Post spotted an internal chat between Sam Altman and OpenAI staff where he set a target of shipping 100 million AI “companions.”Altman allegedly even told his team the OpenAI device is “the chance to do the biggest thing we’ve ever done as a company here.”To be clear, Altman has set that 100 million number as an eventual target. “We’re not going to ship 100 million devices literally on day one,” he said. But then, in a flex that’s pure Silicon Valley, he added they’d hit that 100 million mark “faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before.”So, what is this mysterious “companion”? The gadget is designed to be entirely aware of a user’s surroundings, and even their “life.” While they’ve mostly talked about a single device, Altman did let slip it might be more of a “family of devices.”Jony Ive, as expected, dubbed it “a new design movement.” You can almost hear the minimalist manifesto being drafted.Why the full-blown acquisition, though? Weren’t they just going to partner up? Originally, yes. The plan was for Ive’s startup to cook up the hardware and sell it, with OpenAI delivering the brains. But it seems the vision got bigger. This isn’t just another accessory, you see.Altman stressed the device will be a “central facet of using OpenAI.” He even said, “We both got excited about the idea that, if you subscribed to ChatGPT, we should just mail you new computers, and you should use those.”Frankly, they reckon our current tech – our trusty laptops, the websites we browse – just isn’t up to snuff for the kind of AI experiences they’re dreaming of. Altman was pretty blunt, saying current use of AI “is not the sci-fi dream of what AI could do to enable you in all the ways that I think the models are capable of.”So, we know it’s not a smartphone. Altman’s also put the kibosh on it being a pair of glasses. And Jony Ive, well, he’s apparently not rushing to make another wearable, which makes sense given his design ethos.The good news for the impatient among us (i.e., everyone in tech) is that this isn’t just vapourware. Ive’s team has an actual prototype. Altman’s even taken one home to “live with it”. As for when we might get our hands on one? Altman’s reportedly aiming for a late 2026 release.Naturally, OpenAI is keeping the actual device under wraps, but you can always count on supply chain whispers for a few clues. The ever-reliable (well, usually!) Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has thrown a few alleged design details into the ring via social media.Kuo reckons it’ll be “slightly larger” than the Humane AI Pin, but that it will look “as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle.” And yes, like the Shuffle, Kuo says no screen.According to Kuo, the device will chat with your phone and computer instead, using good old-fashioned microphones for your voice and cameras to see what’s going on around you. Interestingly, he suggests it’ll be worn around the neck, necklace-style, rather than clipped on like the AI Pin.Kuo’s crystal ball points to mass production in 2027, but he wisely adds a pinch of salt, noting the final look and feel could still change.So, the billion-dollar (well, £5.1 billion) question remains: will this OpenAI device be the next big thing, the gamechanger we’ve been waiting for? Or will it be another noble-but-failed attempt to break free from the smartphone’s iron grip, joining the likes of the AI Pin in the ‘great ideas that didn’t quite make it’ pile?Altman, for one, is brimming with confidence. Having lived with the prototype, he’s gone on record saying he believes it will be “the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.”Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Right after yesterday’s bombshell announcement that OpenAI had acquired Jony Ive’s AI startup to form a new company called io, the entire tech world immediately began asking, “OK, but what is it?” Now, supply chain analyst and frequent Apple leaker Ming-Chi shared what he was able to gather about the mysterious io device. iPod Shuffle… necklace? According to Kuo, mass production of the device is slated to begin in 2027, and assembly and shipping will occur outside China, hoping to reduce geopolitical risks. He says Vietnam is currently the most likely assembly location. As exclusively reported by The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI and Jony Ive intend to ship 100 million units of their AI-powered devices. One of the biggest question marks about the product is how people will use, since it has already been reported that it is not a smartphone or smart glasses. Kuo says the device’s current form factor is “compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle,” and it is currently a little bit bigger than Humane’s AI Pin. He also said the device is meant to be worn around the neck, which is a form factor that companies like Limitless have been experimenting with. According to Kuo, the device will have cameras and microphones in order to capture the user’s environment and context, and will rely on the user’s smartphones for computing and display capabilities. Would you be willing to wear an AI gadget around your neck? Let us know in the comments. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, OpenAI and Jony Ive are planning a neck-worn AI device with a similar form factor to the iPod Shuffle.Former Apple designer Jony IveTF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed on X that the new AI device from Jony Ive and OpenAI is expected to enter mass production in 2027. In his post, he said the prototype is slightly larger than Humane's (failed) AI Pin but remains as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle.The device won't include a display and is designed to be worn around the neck, using cameras and microphones for environmental awareness. It will connect to smartphones and PCs for computing power and display output, positioning it squarely in the emerging category of ambient, screenless AI. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums