It's all shrouded in secrecy, but whispers suggest it's not your average smartphone. The dynamic duo first teased this venture in the autumn of 2023, and now, it appears they're ready to get their hands dirty.

The dark satanic rumour mill has manufactured a hell-on-earth yarn saying that the pair have been schmoozing with the moneybags at Thrive Capital and Emerson Collective, founded by none other than “The Widow” Laurene Powell Jobs. And if that's not enough name-dropping for you, SoftBank's bigwig Masayoshi Son might throw his hat in the ring, too.

It's all very cloak and dagger, but with such tech titans backing the project, smaller investors might have to watch from the sidelines. After all, when you've got friends in high places like Mrs Jobs, who's chummy with both Ive and Altman, you're playing in the big leagues.

The mystery device's fate is anyone's guess, but it could mean Ive is squaring up to his old pals at Apple. Meanwhile, Job’s Mob is desperately trying to catch up by beefing up iOS with something it calls AI features.

Altman's no stranger to the AI game, juggling a few ventures alongside his OpenAI gig. But whether OpenAI will get its hands dirty with this new hardware venture is still up in the air.