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After giving up on making cars, Apple is stepping up its efforts to enter the field of home robots, expanding the scope of using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology and developing new sources of revenue.

On Wednesday, August 14, Eastern Time, the media quoted insiders as saying that Apple is promoting the development of an expensive desktop home device. The device integrates an iPad-like display and a slender robotic arm. It relies on the robot's actuator to allow the display to tilt up and down and rotate 360 ​​degrees. According to Apple's conception, it will serve as a smart home command center, video conferencing equipment, and remote-controlled home security tool.

According to people familiar with the matter, the project codenamed J595 for the above-mentioned device was approved by Apple's senior management in 2022, and it has only officially accelerated in recent months. Kevin Lynch, who serves as vice president of technology, is fully responsible. Lynch was in charge of Apple's self-driving car project, and more recently was in charge of Apple's smartwatch Apple Watch and health software engineering. Lynch recently recruited key deputies who helped launch the Apple Watch as well as well-known robotics researchers and engineers to develop desktop robots. The development team now has hundreds of people.

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple's industrial design team has been researching desktop robots for many years, but there is no consensus within the company on whether to move forward with the project. CEO Cook and hardware engineering head John Ternus both support it, while the marketing team is worried that consumers will not be willing to pay for such a product, and software engineering executives are worried about not getting the human resources needed to develop the necessary software. Apple has now decided to prioritize the development of robotic devices, with plans to release them for the first time as early as 2026 or 2027, hoping to reduce the price to around $1,000. Since the expected target release date is still a few years away, these plans may change in the future.

The media believes that entering the field of robotics is part of Apple's efforts to improve the company's sales and the monetization capabilities of its personal intelligent system Apple Intelligence, and mentioned that after deciding to abandon the development of self-driving electric vehicles earlier this year, Apple is also looking for new growth opportunities.

At the end of February this year, news broke that Apple had canceled its electric vehicle project. Apple's efforts to build cars, which had invested billions of dollars over nearly a decade, came to an abrupt end, shocking the automotive and technology circles. Media said that many employees in the car-related teams would be transferred to the AI ​​department led by John Giannandrea, Apple's vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, to focus on generative AI projects that are becoming increasingly important to Apple.

Since then, Wall Street analysts generally believe that giving up car manufacturing may be a wise choice for Apple to avoid wasting resources. For Apple, a better strategy to enter the automotive industry should be to focus on software development rather than directly manufacturing cars. Entering the electric vehicle market first will put Apple in multiple difficulties. The demand for electric vehicles itself has slowed down, competition in the industry has intensified, and the market has become saturated. Apple's investment is large but the risk is high. In addition, Apple's accustomed manufacturing outsourcing model and data advantages are limited, and it also needs to create a new marketing model.

Analysts believe that canceling a project that may require huge investments and has uncertain prospects for success shows Apple's emphasis on cost control and financial discipline. Giving up on car manufacturing can focus on areas that Apple considers more important, such as high-growth areas such as generative AI. This is a wise decision because generative AI can enhance Apple's moat more than the car project.

Wall Street Journal noted that there were reports in April and July this year that Apple was developing household robots.

In April, it was reported that Apple is researching personal robotics, an area that could become one of Apple's "next big things." Apple engineers have been working on mobile robots that can follow users around the home. Apple has also developed an advanced desktop home device that uses robotics to move the display.

News in July hinted that this new product category of desktop robots would become Apple's first home devices powered by Apple Intelligence.