[Following publication of this article, OpenAI announced that the Sora app is also now available in Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam, as well as Japan and South Korea]
OpenAI launched its AI-powered Sora app in the U.S. and Canada at the end of September, but you needed an invite to download it.
Well, the company has just removed that restriction and so you can now grab it from the iOS App Store and log in straight away, just like you would any other app.
And there’s more good news: The company has expanded Sora availability to Japan and South Korea, opening up the AI video generator to millions more people in another part of the world.
But take note — the removal of the invite requirement is for a limited time only. OpenAI doesn’t say for how long it will pause the need for an invite, so it’s likely down to the volume of downloads and how its systems cope with the added demand. In other words, it could reinstate the requirement for invites at any moment.
Either way, for folks in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and South Korea, the best thing to do right now is to head to the App Store and download the app while you can.
OpenAI made the announcement in a post on X on Wednesday.
You can now get into the Sora app without an invite code in the US, Canada, Japan, and Korea.
Limited time only.
The move shows Sora’s rollout advancing from a limited and controlled launch toward broader availability, demonstrating OpenAI’s readiness to scale the app and expand its user base without restrictions … at least for now.
OpenAI also announced a new feature called “character cameos” that lets you create unique videos from a short clip that you’ve already taken. Find out more about it below:
How to create and use character cameos in the Sora app, as demo’d by lil crabby. pic.twitter.com/bLOH6M4Kt7
The Sora app lets you create and browse AI-generated videos featuring personalized digital avatars. Created using text prompts, the short clips can include yourself, friends, pets, or objects.
Launched exactly a month ago for the iPhone (an Android version is coming soon), OpenAI’s Sora app quickly became a viral hit. The app’s popularity reflects the increasing demand for AI-powered video creation tools with social and creative features. However, in its short time of availability, Sora has faced controversy over copyright violations and the videos using the likeness of deceased celebrities.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.