OpenAI launches $230 Codex Micro keyboard amid Apple lawsuit

OpenAI put its Codex Micro keyboard on sale for $230 just five days after Apple filed suit in federal court in Northern California, accusing the AI company of trade secret theft and breach of contract. The timing turned a niche developer accessory into the latest front in a fight over who controls the physical tools around AI, not just the software models behind them.

Codex Micro was designed with keyboard maker Work Louder and is built around OpenAI’s Codex coding app. OpenAI says the compact device is meant to keep the agent workspace close at hand, using live RGB feedback to show what agents are doing and letting users map common Codex actions to tactile controls. Those actions include accepting or rejecting work, starting a new chat, reviewing a pull request, debugging errors and refactoring code.

The hardware itself is positioned as a macro-style control surface rather than a traditional keyboard. OpenAI lists 13 mechanical switches, a touch sensor, a rotary encoder and a planar joystick. The device connects over Bluetooth or USB-C and is listed as compatible with Mac and Windows. OpenAI also says the product ships with a Codex icon keyset that adds 32 extra keycaps.

The launch lands in the middle of a legal clash that cuts across Apple and OpenAI’s recent history. Apple’s lawsuit, filed July 10, says OpenAI took Apple intellectual property to develop consumer hardware. The complaint also names OpenAI chief hardware officer Tang Tan and former Apple employees. That comes after the two companies built a closer product relationship in 2024, when ChatGPT was integrated into iPhone software.

OpenAI’s hardware push has not stopped at keyboards. The company also bought former Apple designer Jony Ive’s startup IO Products for $6.4 billion, deepening speculation that OpenAI wants to move from software partnerships into devices of its own. Codex Micro makes that strategy more visible: instead of asking users to keep AI in a browser tab, OpenAI is trying to place Codex inside the desk setup where developers work, click, and review code all day.