Apple is venturing into the world of robotics, aiming to make its mark in consumers’ homes and expand its product offerings in a new direction.

Apple’s executives have been grappling with a challenge: their current devices already permeate almost every aspect of users’ lives. Whether it’s gathering information, consuming entertainment on iPhones, iPads, Macs, or Apple TVs, listening to audio through AirPods and Beats headphones, or monitoring health with the Apple Watch, the company has already achieved deep integration into daily life. Even the Vision Pro is an attempt to change the way people perceive the world.

While Apple continues to refine these products—making them sleeker, enhancing battery life, and increasing processing power—finding a truly groundbreaking innovation is becoming more difficult.

Apple’s previous attempt to revolutionize the market with a self-driving car failed, with the project being shelved earlier this year. However, the endeavor sparked a new question within the company: What new experiences could be unlocked if Apple devices had the capability to move autonomously?

Although the idea of an autonomous car was eventually abandoned, the underlying technology, essentially that of a large, mobile robot, has potential applications in other areas. Around 2020, Apple began to explore how robotics could enable its products to move independently—an initiative that is still very much in development today.

However, Apple is still in the exploratory phase of how best to leverage robotics. A test case in development is a tabletop device, codenamed J595, which combines a large, iPad-like display with cameras and a base featuring a robotic actuator. This device could be released as early as 2026 or 2027, with more advanced mobile robots and possibly even humanoid models potentially following in the next decade.

Through robotics, Apple aims to address a range of everyday inconveniences:

Devices are only useful when within reach. Often, you might want to use a computer that’s in another room, or your hands might be occupied with other tasks.
You may wish to take photos or start a video call but aren’t positioned near a device.
You might need to monitor or control something in your home while you’re away.
For instance, equipping an iPad with a robotic arm could make it more practical for tasks like videoconferencing or browsing recipes. The device could automatically swivel to face you while you’re busy in the kitchen. Looking further ahead, Apple has even envisioned robots that could perform household chores, like loading laundry or cleaning dishes, although these ideas are still just sketches on a whiteboard.

Artificial intelligence advancements will also play a crucial role in bringing these concepts to life. AI is expected to be at the heart of any future robotic device. Additionally, Apple can leverage its expertise in sensors, advanced chip design, hardware engineering, and batteries, along with its proficiency in mapping the environment around its devices.

Some within Apple believe that now is the ideal time to dive into robotics. With the cancellation of the car project, which involved hundreds of engineers with expertise in autonomous systems, the company has freed up resources and talent to pursue this new venture aggressively. However, there are skeptics who caution against overstating robotics as Apple’s next big frontier.

A successful robotics device could help Apple finally make a significant impact in the smart home market, an area where it has lagged behind competitors like Amazon and Google. The upcoming tabletop device might be the breakthrough that differentiates Apple’s home products.

The robotics initiative is being led by Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, who previously oversaw the car project and has experience in developing Apple Watch software. He reports to Apple’s AI chief and collaborates closely with the robotics teams within the hardware engineering division. In recent months, Apple has also recruited top robotics talent from institutions such as Technion in Israel.

A key focus of Apple’s robotics efforts is developing a distinct personality for these devices. While Siri currently serves as the digital assistant across Apple’s ecosystem, the company is working on a new, more humanlike interface powered by generative AI. This could become the voice and personality of future Apple robotics products, including the tabletop device.

That said, both Apple and the broader robotics industry face significant hurdles. The robots available today are expensive, not particularly intelligent, and limited in functionality. Moreover, most consumers aren’t yet ready to embrace a Jetsons-like lifestyle. Numerous technical challenges remain, such as developing hardware that can navigate cluttered environments and multi-story buildings efficiently.

Source