Apple to launch tabletop robot with shockingly low price: Report

Apple is working on a new tabletop robotic home device, according to a new report. The robot could debut as soon as 2026 and may cost around $1000.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that “a team of several hundred people” is working on a new product. According to the report, it attaches an iPad-style display to a robotic arm.

“Apple Inc., seeking new sources of revenue, is moving forward with development of a pricey tabletop home device that combines an iPad-like display with a robotic limb,” Gurman said.

The display on the robot would tilt up and down and rotate a full 360 degrees. It would serve as a “smart home command center,” a videoconferencing machine for FaceTime calls, and a home security monitoring tool.

Apple

Gurman said the project is proceeding with Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, at the helm. Sources told Bloomberg the company is aiming to launch the device in 2026 or 2027 and it may cost around $1,000, which is the same as the M4 iPad Pro.

The tabletop robot would use Siri and Apple Intelligence. It will be able to respond to all kinds of voice commands, recognize different people, and automatically turn its display to face whoever’s in the room, according to the report.

Apple is currently testing the device with a “customized version” of iPadOS.

Apple has been dabbling in new consumer electronics recently. The Vision Pro debuted this February as the brand’s first VR headset, and Apple is reportedly working on a cheaper VR headset along with the Vision Pro 2.

Rumors about the Apple Car have also been floating around for most of this decade. However, Gurman reported in February that Apple has scrapped plans to launch a car after spending over $10 billion on its development. That project was also reported to be led by Kevin Lynch.