Apple’s tabletop robotic project is finally taking shape, as the company is reportedly aiming for a 2026 release. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the device will feature a large, iPad-like display mounted on a “thin robotic arm.” It tilts and rotates a full 360º, serving as a “smart home command center,” a hub for FaceTime calls, and a home security monitoring tool.
With a focus on Apple Intelligence and Siri, this device would recognize different voices in the house and perform a Center Stage-like feature to face users in the room whenever they speak to it.
While Apple has been working on robotic home devices for some time now, Gurman says Apple has put Kevin Lynch, the company’s VP of technology, in charge of this project. Several hundred people are reportedly working on the device.
With a possible release date between 2026 and 2027, Apple aims at the high-end market, as this iPad-like robotic home device would cost around $1,000. At this moment, the first Apple home robot runs a modified version of iPadOS, but other details are unclear.
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In April, Gurman said the robotic smart display was reportedly much further along in development than the mobile robot the company has been working on. However, these products have been added and removed from the company’s roadmap many times.
Still, Gurman reiterates what he said a few months ago, which is that this smart display would be able to mimic the movements of a person on a FaceTime call, such as shaking their head or nodding. It would also be able to lock on to a specific person in a crowd during a call, so the display would always center on them.
The post Apple’s home robot could launch in 2026 for under $1,000 appeared first on BGR.
