Overview
- OpenAI launched the Codex Micro on Wednesday, July 15, opening preorders for a $230 programmable macropad with initial shipments estimated in late July.
- The device has 13 mechanical switches, six illuminated 'Agent Keys' that show live Codex thread status, a joystick for workflow shortcuts, and a rotary dial to change an agent’s reasoning level.
- OpenAI co-designed the Micro with boutique keyboard maker Work Louder as a limited-run collaboration and the product appears to be built on Work Louder’s existing Creator Micro 2 platform.
- OpenAI says the Micro is separate from its longer-term consumer hardware work with io Products and Jony Ive, and the launch comes while Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit against OpenAI remains active and disputed.
- The Micro targets Codex power users as the company scales agent features — Codex has reached roughly 8 million active users — and the release lets OpenAI test physical controls for agent workflows even as prior AI hardware efforts have struggled commercially.