Smart home
Apple’s Rumoured Tabletop Robotic Device May Come With These Features
Apple Tabletop Robotic Device
According to a report (behind a paywall) Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s purported smart home gadget would essentially be an iPad with AI features that will be attached to a robotic arm. It is speculated to have actuators that can tilt the display and even rotate it 360 degrees. The device is said to have been codenamed J595. The idea for the device is reported to have been approved by the company in 2022 but its development has only gained pace in recent months.
According to Gurman, it would serve three purposes, the first of which is a smart home command centre that would control all the connected home devices. Additionally, it may also act as a videoconferencing device and the 360-degree rotatable robotic arm could aid it in mimicking the head movement of the user during a FaceTime call. The purported device is also said to have a use as a remote-controlled home security tool.
Previous reports suggested that the upcoming device could become Apple’s first home device to get Apple Intelligence features. Gurman says it could be controlled using Siri – the company’s AI-powered voice assistant. Leveraging the robotic arm, it is speculated to respond to commands such as “look at me” by repositioning the screen to face the speaker.
Gurman first mentioned the device in an April report, where he said it would be “an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around.” At the time, its development was reported to be led by John Giannandrea, Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, in collaboration with its engineering division. Two other Apple executives – Matt Costello and Brian Lynch – were also said to be involved with the project.
However, the latest report suggests that Kevin Lynch, who led the now-cancelled Apple Car project, is solely responsible for the development of the tabletop device. The iPhone maker is expecting to launch the product in 2026 or 2027 and is said to be working to bring its price down to $1000 (roughly Rs. 84,000).
Apple TV Set Could Compete With Offerings From Popular TV Manufacturers
Gurman writes that Apple is “evaluating” the development of an “Apple-branded TV set” in his newsletter, which suggests that the company is at a very early stage. However, MacRumors points out that this is not the first time that word of Apple’s plans to make its own TV have surfaced online — the company was rumoured to be developing its own TV as early as 2009.
Apple’s purported TV set would arrive as part of several smart devices being developed by the company, according to Gurman. The journalist previously revealed that the first of these devices would be a wall-mounted smart home hub that could control other devices and offer support for features like video calling.
However, Gurman says that if the smart home hub fails, Apple could “rethink its smart home ambitions once again”. The company is said to be working on a more advanced version of the smart home hub, equipped with a robotic arm, that could arrive with a higher $1,000 (roughly Rs. 84,400) price tag.
If the company is thinking of developing its own TV set, the company would face competition from several manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung, LG, and Sharp — these firms offer a range of TVs across price models, while Apple can be expected to introduce a model with high-end specifications.
Apple’s TV set could also offer support for features available on its TV box that include Siri, HomeKit, and more. It’s currently unclear whether Apple will use the same operating system — tvOS — on the purported TV set.
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Apple’s Wall-Mounted Display Might Not Support Third-Party Apps
According to the report, Apple’s first smart home device powered by Apple Intelligence will comprise a 6-inch display that appears to resemble two iPhone units placed next to each other. It will reportedly be equipped with a camera and built-in speakers that enable support for video calls, and it can be used with optional bases that are equipped with speakers.
Apple is also developing a new operating system for the new wall-mounted display that is codenamed “Pebble”, according to Bloomberg. It will reportedly feature a customisable home screen that shows icons for various apps, while widgets will provide information at a glance.
The first-generation smart home device, codenamed J490, is expected to feature support for the company’s applications such as Apple News, Apple Music, FaceTime, and Safari, but it is unlikely to include an App Store, as per the report.
While the wall-mounted display is expected to operate independently, it will reportedly require an iPhone to be set up. There’s no word on the hardware powering the device, but we can expect to offer performance on par with Apple’s A17 Pro chip or an M1 chip, along with 8GB of RAM.
Apple has spent over three years on developing the new wall-mounted display and the company plans to launch the device in March 2025, according to the report. It could be available in black and silver colourways.
Meanwhile, another advanced smart home device that is equipped with a robotic arm that can move a display is reportedly in development. It is unclear when Apple plans to launch this device, but it could be priced as high as $1,000 (roughly Rs. 84,400). Meanwhile, the wall-mounted display is expected to have a much lower price tag, according to the report.
Apple Picks Goertek to Produce New Products Arriving in 2026
In a post on Medium, Kuo states that Apple is planning to launch its first smart home IP camera device in 2026, which will offer wireless connectivity with Apple’s other devices, as well as software integration with Siri and Apple Intelligence. According to supply chain analyst, the company is looking at a long-term goal of annual shipments of over 10 million, and has picked China-based Goertek to be the sole assembler for the product.
Apple’s second product will be an upgraded version of the company’s AirPods truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones, Kuo claims. The analyst predicts that the company’s upcoming AirPods will also focus on health-related features, and that these earphones will be assembled by Goertek
Earlier this year, Apple announced that the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) would be updated with support for using the headset as a hearing aid — the company received approval from the US FDA in September.
In 2023, a patent related to a wireless audio product was spotted online, that suggested Apple was working on AirPods sensors that could measure brain electrical activity, while another report claimed that Apple was designing a new AirPods Pro model that could monitor body temperature using inbuilt sensors.
Citing supply chain reports, Kuo claims that Goertek’s relationship has Apple has “normalised” in the second half of 2024, months after it lost many orders due to “supply compliance issues”. Goertek is expected to be the sole supplier for the smart home IP camera, and the primary supplier for the next-generation AirPods.
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