SpaceX has an AI device prototype, and it sure sounds phone-ish

SpaceX 拥有一款 AI 设备原型机，听起来确实很像手机

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has shown investors a prototype of a “handset-like” AI device, reports The Wall Street Journal. The prototype is reportedly sleeker and slimmer than an iPhone, making us wonder if it’s something between a small touchscreen phone and a Rabbit R1. 据《华尔街日报》报道，埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）旗下的 SpaceX 已向投资者展示了一款“类似手机”的 AI 设备原型机。据称，该原型机比 iPhone 更轻薄，这不禁让人猜测它是否介于小型触摸屏手机和 Rabbit R1 之间。

SpaceX reportedly showed the device to investors and stakeholders before it went public, and told them it’s at an early enough stage that the design could still change. Musk has denied the reporting, calling it “utterly false.” 据报道，SpaceX 在消息公开前向投资者和利益相关者展示了该设备，并表示目前仍处于早期阶段，设计仍有可能发生变化。马斯克否认了这一报道，称其“完全是虚假的”。

SpaceX, alongside sister company Tesla, does have the manufacturing expertise to pull off mass-producing a bunch of AI devices — not to mention access to the chips needed to power any on-device compute. SpaceX has also signaled that it’s keen to expand into wireless, with Starlink Mobile as a potential competitor to Verizon and AT&T. SpaceX 及其姊妹公司特斯拉确实拥有大规模生产 AI 设备所需的制造专业知识，更不用说他们还能获得驱动设备端计算所需的芯片。SpaceX 也已表示有意进军无线通信领域，其 Starlink Mobile 有望成为 Verizon 和 AT&T 的潜在竞争对手。

One analyst even went as far as to speculate that T-Mobile or AT&T would make fine acquisition targets for the rocket builder, though such a purchase would, undoubtedly, be pricey. It’s also not clear if SpaceX is just throwing spaghetti at the wall or if it will attempt to really mass-produce and market such a device. 甚至有分析师推测，T-Mobile 或 AT&T 会是这家火箭制造商不错的收购目标，尽管这样的收购无疑代价高昂。目前尚不清楚 SpaceX 只是在进行各种尝试，还是真的打算大规模生产并销售此类设备。

But one thing that seems clearer is that if OpenAI is doing it, Musk would, perhaps, want to try to do it better. As we know, OpenAI is working with Apple’s former chief design officer Jony Ive on an AI device that CEO Sam Altman has claimed will be more peaceful than an iPhone. 但有一点似乎很明确：如果 OpenAI 在做这件事，马斯克或许会想尝试做得更好。众所周知，OpenAI 正在与苹果前首席设计官乔尼·艾维（Jony Ive）合作开发一款 AI 设备，CEO 山姆·奥特曼（Sam Altman）声称该设备将比 iPhone 更“平和”。

Reports from last autumn suggest the company has been struggling to get the details right, and OpenAI recently brought on another Apple executive to potentially help move things along. News dropped last week that Paul Meade, Apple’s VP in charge of the Vision Pro headset, has joined OpenAI’s hardware team. 去年秋天的报道显示，该公司在细节把控上一直面临困难，OpenAI 最近又聘请了另一位苹果高管，以期推动项目进展。上周有消息称，负责 Vision Pro 头显的苹果副总裁保罗·米德（Paul Meade）已加入 OpenAI 的硬件团队。

Like OpenAI, SpaceX’s prototype is reportedly designed to run on a proprietary operating system and integrate technology from xAI, Musk’s AI company that SpaceX acquired earlier this year. This would prevent these new devices from being trapped inside another company’s platforms (like Google’s Android). 与 OpenAI 一样，据报道，SpaceX 的原型机旨在运行专有操作系统，并整合马斯克旗下 AI 公司 xAI 的技术（SpaceX 于今年早些时候收购了该公司）。这将使这些新设备免于被困在其他公司的平台（如谷歌的 Android）中。

But the intent also appears to be to create something new, with native AI interfaces. That said, the graveyard is crowded with the unsuccessful launches of AI devices from companies like Humane and Rabbit. A company wanting to sell an AI device does not equate to consumers wanting to buy such a thing. Yet. 但其意图似乎也是为了创造出具有原生 AI 交互界面的新事物。话虽如此，AI 设备领域已经挤满了像 Humane 和 Rabbit 这样发布失败的案例。一家公司想要销售 AI 设备，并不等同于消费者想要购买此类产品。至少目前是这样。