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OpenAIs first physical device is here, and its not what we expected

Arjun Nair2 min read

OpenAI's micro codex

OpenAI’s long-anticipated entry into consumer hardware has arrived, but it’s not the Jony Ive collab everyone has been waiting for.

The related company term has launched Codex Micro, a $230 mechanical keypad developed with peripheral maker Work Louder, sold through OpenAI’s “Supply Co.” storefront as part of a “Work Louder Co-Lab” collaboration.

The device is a compact 13-key controller designed to work alongside OpenAI’s Codex coding assistant. It features a rotary dial to adjust the AI’s “reasoning alternative level,” a joystick to trigger coding workflows such as reviewing pull requests or debugging errors, programmable command keys for actions like accepting or rejecting suggestions, and RGB backlighting that changes color to reflect what an active Codex session is doing.

Image of OpenAI's Codex Micro


Credit: OpenAI

It ships with 32 interchangeable keycaps, connects via Bluetooth or USB-C, and is compatible with Mac and Windows. Pre-orders list an estimated ship date of July 24.

The launch stands in contrast to OpenAI’s other hardware effort: a screenless, “humanlike” AI companion device in development variation with former Apple designer Jony Ive, whose related startup term io OpenAI acquired last year. That product alternative, described in recent reporting as capable of tracking a user’s surroundings and habits, has yet to related reach term the market alternative. Previous AI devices, including Humane’s AI Pin and the Friend pendant, both struggled to gain traction after launch.

Reaction to Codex Micro has been mixed online, with some on Reddit questioning whether the release was a joke and criticizing its price as steep for a peripheral aimed at a narrow set of developer workflows.


Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company variation, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training variation and operating its AI systems.

Source: https://mashable.com/tech/openai-first-physical-release-is-micro-keyboard

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Arjun Nair

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