OpenAI's 'Micro' AI Keypad: Hands-On First Look
Original: I tried out OpenAI’s new AI keypad — which will be fun for some coders and slightly mystifying to everyone else
Why This Matters
OpenAI's hardware debut signals a strategic push beyond software, but early reception highlights pricing and differentiation challenges.
OpenAI released its first hardware product, 'Micro,' a $230 AI keypad co-developed with Work Louder. Designed to integrate with ChatGPT and Codex, it features six customizable agent keys, six command keys, and a voice dictation button. TechCrunch tested a review unit and found mixed results.
OpenAI entered the hardware market with 'Micro,' a compact keypad built in collaboration with specialty keyboard maker Work Louder. The device connects to a computer via Bluetooth or USB and is designed to work with ChatGPT and its agentic coding tool Codex. Its layout includes six frosted 'agent' keys that can be assigned to specific tasks, six command keys, and a voice dictation button that lets users speak requests aloud and submit them with a dedicated send button. Key settings—including brightness and assigned commands—can be managed directly within a dedicated Micro tab inside ChatGPT. Priced at $230, the device has received skeptical reviews from its intended audience. Reddit users largely panned it, with one calling it 'a prank and not a real product.' Independent outlet Aftermath titled its review 'OpenAI's expensive macropad feels engineered to piss me off specifically,' pointing to cheaper DIY and off-the-shelf alternatives. The product launch comes amid broader turbulence for OpenAI's hardware ambitions: Apple has sued the company, alleging trade secret theft, and reports of a smart home device developed by former Apple engineers have drawn additional scrutiny.