Apple’s Next Big Thing is Reportedly an iPad on a Robot Arm

Apple hasn’t had a cleanable way grounds connected astute location gadgets oregon smart cars. The Cupertino, California tech giant is reportedly now consumed by the thought of home-based robotics. We’ve yet got our archetypal hint from a reliable rumormonger astir Apple’s adjacent large project. It’s seemingly a big-screen iPad attached to a tabletop robot arm. Think less Samsung Ballie and more Homepod, but with a surface that tin twist and rotate—all powered with AI. 

We’ve heard hints astir this displacement to astute location robotics earlier this year, but a caller study from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims Apple has enactment hundreds of unit onto its iPad positive robot limb concept. Gurman cites anonymous sources with cognition of Apple’s latest efforts who accidental the limb would beryllium a astute location “command center” that volition beryllium a Homepod, a videoconferencing window, and a information instrumentality each rolled into one. Imagine if you stuck an Amazon Echo Show oregon a Pixel Tablet with its astute location hub dock connected a thin, mechanical limb with built-in actuators to determination it around.

Apple archetypal reportedly approved the thought backmost successful 2022. However, the task has ballooned successful caller months aft the demise of the long-anticipated Apple-brand electrical car—as archetypal reported by Bloomberg backmost successful February. This besides coincides with Apple’s large determination towards AI, dubbed Apple Intelligence. The instrumentality volition astir apt usage AI to immoderate grade and volition apt usage the AI-ified Siri to heed users’ directions.

According to Bloomberg’s report, CEO Tim Cook has backed the initiative. He’s sitting alongside caput of hardware engineering John Ternus and VP of exertion Kevin Lynch. Lynch was besides astatine the caput of Apple’s astute car project. VP of hardware engineering successful complaint of Homepod Matt Costello is besides reportedly overseeing the hardware broadside of things. 

Smart location tech hasn’t been a moneymaker for galore large tech companies. Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon is burning billions of dollars connected its Echo lineup. The institution tried a loss-leading strategy to connection inexpensive devices to enactment Alexa successful millions of homes. Amazon is trying to boost Alexa with AI, including Apple, Google, Samsung, and astir each large tech brand. Amazon wants users to buy a subscription to entree this AI Alexa. 

The existent mentation successful investigating is reportedly inactive utilizing a modified mentation of iPadOS, a bundle suite known for trailing down MacOS in presumption of versatility. Perhaps the bundle volition enactment amended connected a moving limb adhered to a tabletop, but Apple would inactive request to modify it heavy to make thing speedy capable to usage connected the fly. 

It’s inactive early, and Bloomberg claims we’ll spot this driblet sometime successful 2026 oregon 2027 for determination astir $1,000. And yet, from the outset, the thought of a robot limb with a surface conjures images of Jetsons-like 50s-era aboriginal tech that seems acold little utile successful today’s property of pocketable smartphones.