Apple’s home robot targets a $1,000 price by 2027

What happened

Ars Technica reports that The Information describes Apple’s engineers as trying to give the robot more capabilities beyond being a “fancy way to make FaceTime calls” in order to justify a high price tag, even as the team has spent years refining the software and incorporating more AI technologies.

Ars Technica reports that one of The Information’s sources also described Apple as having a very small team of about 10 “true roboticists,” with many members of the initial engineering team having departed over the years.

Ars Technica reports that the software side boasts a significantly larger team of approximately 300 people.

Ars Technica reports that Ternus has been backing this home robot as well as a separate Apple project focused on developing robots for household tasks like folding clothes, according to The Information.

Ars Technica reports that the latter would presumably require robotic arms and manipulators, though it’s unclear if that means Apple has ambitions to develop a general-purpose humanoid robot for household use like robotics startups 1X and Figure AI.

Why it matters

• Context

  The reports describe a high-price, AI-driven home robot with long development history and potential expansion into household tasks.

What we know

Ars Technica reports that the AI-driven home robot, code-named J595, could be named HomeView Ultra in line with Apple’s new HomeView stationary smart display, and that a possible price tag of $1,000 or more is being targeted by 2027 with possible delay to 2028.