OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M • Hacker News Board

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#31

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:06 PM UTC

walrus01 wrote: post #21

fidotron wrote: post #12

Both Apple and Google have dropped the ball enough with the state of recent releases that some iPhone-equivalent-disruption product from the AI industry is becoming conceivable, though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Putting a lot of effort into pushing complexity into software to reduce manufacturing complexity is precisely the sort of thing you worry about when you're ge…

I wonder if it might be some totally clean sheet of paper OS design but also capable of running Android applications in an emulation/virtualization layer. I think they know that any mass market handheld smartphone consumer device isn't going to succeed (windows phone) unless people can easily install all available apps from either the google play store or apple app store.

[deleted]

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#32

Post by jmspamerton » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC

dktp wrote: post #28

giancarlostoro wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Just yesterday I saw a post I cant recall if on here or reddit, someone coded an entire OS with Claude Code, I would not be surprised if they invest AI compute at building an OS themselves, though I'd never buy a phone from these companies. The person got it running on bare hardware. Found it: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comme…

The issue is getting developers to create apps for a new OS nobody uses (yet). And nobody will use it if they can't have their banking app and uber on it This becomes even tougher if they go the Apple route and don't allow other phone manufacturers to use their OS. Alternatively, if they go down the Windows Phone route, we saw how that played out considering that Google _pays_ manufacturers to use Android Making OS i…

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Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#33

Post by simonedepertis » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:08 PM UTC

[flagged]

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#34

Post by rvz » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:14 PM UTC

tantalor wrote: post #4

That's an odd choice. I would have thought camera modules are commodity parts (have been for a long time) and there's not much margin there. Probably they are buying the staff, not the technology.

This means that software is done.

Hardware is the next thing which is far more valuable IP and with its staff.

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#35

Post by KaiserPro » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:17 PM UTC

fidotron wrote: post #12

Both Apple and Google have dropped the ball enough with the state of recent releases that some iPhone-equivalent-disruption product from the AI industry is becoming conceivable, though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Putting a lot of effort into pushing complexity into software to reduce manufacturing complexity is precisely the sort of thing you worry about when you're ge…

OpenAI want to make smart glasses, but can't do that yet because its not possible.

So they are almost certianly making an alexa type thing with cameras. So they can build a device capable of recording the entire context of a household.

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#36

Post by dspillett » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:18 PM UTC

giancarlostoro wrote: post #18

fidotron wrote: post #12

Both Apple and Google have dropped the ball enough with the state of recent releases that some iPhone-equivalent-disruption product from the AI industry is becoming conceivable, though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Putting a lot of effort into pushing complexity into software to reduce manufacturing complexity is precisely the sort of thing you worry about when you're ge…

> though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Just yesterday I saw a post I cant recall if on here or reddit, someone coded an entire OS with Claude Code, I would not be surprised if they invest AI compute at building an OS themselves, though I'd never buy a phone from these companies. The person got it running on bare hardware. Found it: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comme…

> someone coded an entire OS with Claude Code

I, as someone who would rather leave the industry than become a manager of either people or autonomous agents, or worse just a meat-based relay, am truly obsolete.

Do you want fries with that?

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#37

Post by classified » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:18 PM UTC

So they want to put their spying AI directly into the camera workflow, where you can't see it and can't turn it off. They will have infinite training data and also sell access to the alphabet agencies. The next level of total surveillance.

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#38

Post by KaiserPro » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:20 PM UTC

giancarlostoro wrote: post #18

fidotron wrote: post #12

Both Apple and Google have dropped the ball enough with the state of recent releases that some iPhone-equivalent-disruption product from the AI industry is becoming conceivable, though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Putting a lot of effort into pushing complexity into software to reduce manufacturing complexity is precisely the sort of thing you worry about when you're ge…

> though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Just yesterday I saw a post I cant recall if on here or reddit, someone coded an entire OS with Claude Code, I would not be surprised if they invest AI compute at building an OS themselves, though I'd never buy a phone from these companies. The person got it running on bare hardware. Found it: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comme…

porting an OS to a known platform which has been done a tonne of times before is very different to trying to create a power efficient, secure and fast OS on hardware that is not yet locked down, let alone released.

Moreover the interaction between firmware and the OS is a massive headache to overcome, especially if you are dealing with battery powered devices.

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#39

Post by thejohnconway » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:22 PM UTC

ssivark wrote: post #29

fidotron wrote: post #12

Both Apple and Google have dropped the ball enough with the state of recent releases that some iPhone-equivalent-disruption product from the AI industry is becoming conceivable, though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Putting a lot of effort into pushing complexity into software to reduce manufacturing complexity is precisely the sort of thing you worry about when you're ge…

The time is ripening to disrupt Android/iOS. The place to start would be to rethink the device around AI. No need for apps or messy integrations with third-party crap. Just a simple device with a great new UX (not typing on a touchpad!) that is slick and does a few things very well (personal agent, coordinating with your personal knowledge base, handling external communications and your interface with the world). Thi…

The problem is that although what most people use on a daily basis is small nearly everyone uses something unusual app for _something_. I think it would be quite hard to find a market large enough that didn’t include such people.

There is a solution sitting there, which is running Android and having the AI run it behind the scenes I guess, but is suspect that would end up looking a lot like we have now.

Re: OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M

#40

Post by wepple » Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 2:30 PM UTC

KaiserPro wrote: post #35

fidotron wrote: post #12

Both Apple and Google have dropped the ball enough with the state of recent releases that some iPhone-equivalent-disruption product from the AI industry is becoming conceivable, though I would be surprised if it turns out not to be running Android in some form. Putting a lot of effort into pushing complexity into software to reduce manufacturing complexity is precisely the sort of thing you worry about when you're ge…

OpenAI want to make smart glasses, but can't do that yet because its not possible. So they are almost certianly making an alexa type thing with cameras. So they can build a device capable of recording the entire context of a household.

> but can't do that yet because its not possible.

Huh? Why not?