Apple was gradual to enter the AI house, launching its personal answer, Apple Intelligence, almost two years after the emergence of ChatGPT. Now, it appears the corporate is gearing as much as delve deeper into the house, exploring robotics that might leverage its experience in {hardware} and software program.
The robots
On Wednesday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared in an X submit that Apple is exploring each humanoid and non-humanoid robots. These robots are nonetheless within the early proof-of-concept stage internally and can be included into the Apple sensible house ecosystem.
Apple is exploring each humanoid and non-humanoid robots for its future sensible house ecosystem, and these merchandise are nonetheless within the early proof-of-concept (POC) stage internally. Whereas the business debates the deserves of humanoid vs. non-humanoid designs, provide chain checks…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) February 12, 2025
Kuo added that Apple is extra invested in how customers work together with the robotic than in how the robots themselves look. Apple makes use of anthropomorphic robots versus humanoid robots, with sensing {hardware} and software program on the core. Samsung has taken an identical strategy with its sensible house robotic, Ballie. This basketball-looking robotic can help customers all through their properties and full duties equivalent to greeting them on the door, projecting notifications, and extra.
Final November, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared that Apple is engaged on a sensible house show that may management home equipment, assist video calls, use AI to navigate apps, and have Apple Intelligence, which Apple could introduce as quickly as March, in response to the report. With a transparent intention to increase into the sensible house house, it’s becoming that Apple is exploring robots so as to add to the ecosystem, in response to Kuo’s report.
Timeline
Kuo shares that Apple’s mass manufacturing of robots probably will not begin till 2028 or later, if the robots even make it into manufacturing. The submit highlights how a few of Apple’s proof-of-concepts do not even make it previous that stage, such because the Apple Automotive, which by no means made it into manufacturing.
The progress made within the AI house has accelerated the tempo at which humanoid robots may be developed, and in consequence, we’ve seen many tech firms rush in on the motion. OpenAI and Tesla are each hiring to develop their robotics groups, and Apptronik simply introduced the closing of a $350 million Sequence A funding spherical to speed up the deployment of Apollo, its 5-foot, 8-inch, 160-pound robotic.