SpaceX is reported to have finished development on a prototype handset-like device aimed at changing how people interact with AI. The reported device was shown to investors and other stakeholders during a roadshow ahead of SpaceX’s since-completed IPO.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported the device has a sleek design slimmer than an iPhone and would run on a proprietary operating system while integrating AI technology from Elon Musk’s xAI.
Sources told the WSJ the device would use a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. SpaceX told some investors the project remains at an early stage, with the design subject to change and no certainty the device will ultimately be produced.
The project reflects Musk’s expanding ambitions across satellite connectivity, rocketry and AI.
WSJ noted the prototype reportedly draws on the “everything app” concept Musk has promoted since acquiring Twitter, now X, in 2022 which bundle services like payments, food delivery and travel booking into a single platform.
The report claims investors in SpaceX and Tesla have been told Musk has long envisioned a consumer device to serve as a platform for his various companies’ technology, which could also reduce his reliance on outside hardware makers
According to the Financial Times (FT), SpaceX outlined plans to move into the US consumer mobile market through its Starlink business during a recent IPO roadshow.
The WSJ previously reported Musk considered building a smartphone out of frustration with Apple’s control over third-party app distribution, including for X.
Starlink already sells a satellite dish for internet access and offers cellphone service in dead zones through partnerships including with T-Mobile US.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: SpaceX
Source: Tahawul Tech