After Microsoft invested $10 billion, OpenAI snubs Windows 11 as it releases ChatGPT app first on Mac. “We’re just prioritizing where our users are.”

Windows users will have to wait for a native ChatGPT app as OpenAI prioritizes the Mac.

What you need to know

• OpenAI announced a new native desktop app for ChatGPT today.
• The app was announced exclusively for macOS, with no mention of a Windows app.
• Even with Microsoft investing over $10 billion in OpenAI, a Windows app was seemingly not feasible. 
• OpenAI says it is prioritizing where its users are, which suggests they are not on Windows. 

OpenAI today held a live event where it unveiled several updates for ChatGPT, including GPT-4o which is an updated large language model with enhanced real-time voice capabilities and faster performance. Microsoft and OpenAI share a close partnership, with Microsoft investing over $10 billion in the company and utilizing OpenAI’s technology in its own Copilot services.

Alongside the announcement of GPT-4o, OpenAI announced a brand new ChatGPT app for macOS, built using Apple’s native Mac app platform. Curiously, there was no mention of a Windows app launching alongside the Mac app, and unfortunately it turns out that’s because OpenAI didn’t think it was necessary to launch a Windows app at this time.

In an interview with Ina Fried, OpenAI’s CTO Mira Murati said “we’re just prioritizing where our users are” when asked about why there isn’t a Windows app launching today. That must sting a bit for Microsoft, especially when you consider how the company has been trying to market Windows as the platform for AI developers. Frustratingly, OpenAI hasn’t given a solid timeframe for when a native Windows app for ChatGPT is coming.

According to OpenAI, the majority of its users on a desktop operating system are using Mac, even though Windows has a much larger share of the PC market. Windows users aren’t totally left out in the cold, however, as ChatGPT is available as a web app in your browser of choice, but that’s not going to deliver the same native experience as a dedicated app.

There is some hope for Windows users, as OpenAI engineer Javi has mentioned that the company is looking for Windows engineers, hopefully to help build a native ChatGPT app for Windows 11. Microsoft is holding its annual Build developer conference next week, which will be all about AI. Perhaps we will hear more about OpenAI's plans for Windows then. 

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