What’s next for Apple now that its self-driving electric car project has been axed? It could be venturing into home robotics, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Unnamed sources say Apple is exploring personal robotics for the home, as possibly its next source of revenue. Apple engineers are said to be working on a mobile robot that can follow a user around the home, plus an table-top device that moves a smart display.
The robotic smart display is more developed than the mobile robot, say sources. Robotics research at Apple is under the hardware engineering division and AI and machine-learning group, overseen by John Giannandrea. Matt Costello and Brian Lynch, executives with a focus on home products, have been guiding the hardware development, reports Gurman.
The table-top robotics project looked to copy human head movements for FaceTime and could focus on a single person in a crowd during video calls. This project initially saw enthusiasm from senior executives. But the project been questioned due to high production costs, technical challenges, and executive disagreements.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, however. Apple has yet to fully commit to these projects, which are still in the research phase, says sources. Apple has a secretive testing facility near its Cupertino headquarters for future home device initiatives, says Gurman.
Aside from the expensive Vision Pro…what else has Apple released that’s been a major game changer? The iPhone has remained stagnant and boring, and the iPad as well. Apple, please make yourself great again.
