With the Vision Pro out of the way, the question as to what Apple’s next big project will be has been a mystery. The Apple Car seems to have been canned, and we now have some hints at what could be coming next — and get ready, because it’s sounds absolutely wild.
According to a report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple is pursuing a new project that involves a tabletop robot that can function like a home base for your smart home. With a 360-degree arm that includes an iPad-like device attached to the end of it, the robot will reportedly accomplish tasks like monitoring your home security, connecting you to video calls, and more. The arm is reportedly “thin” and uses actuators for tilting the screen up and down.
Gurman is reporting that “a team of several hundred people” are now on the project, and it’s being led by the executives who abandoned the Apple Car. In particular, Kevin Lynch, vice president of technology, will be in charge of bringing the project to fruition.
The report, which references unnamed sources “knowledgeable of the matter,” claims that Apple is shooting for a launch for the product in 2026 or 2027. The estimated cost, as you can imagine, is quite high at around $1,000.
Rumors about Apple pivoting into robotics aren’t new, but this report seems like the firmest evidence that the company is getting serious. Of course, this is still a distant project, and as we’ve learned with the Apple Car, these types of efforts don’t always come to fruition.
Still, it’s fascinating to imagine Apple investing heavily into robotics, especially in the home setting.