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<\/p>\n2024\/8\/25<\/p>\n
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Apple is\u00a0exploring a push into robotics<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 both to gain a foothold in consumers\u2019 homes and add a new dimension to its product lineup. Also: Meta nears the launch of a cheaper Quest; Apple tries a new Vision Pro sales tactic; and the\u00a0App Store chief is leaving<\/a>\u00a0as part of a reorganization.<\/p>\n Last week in\u00a0Power On<\/em>: Apple is playing the long game with a\u00a0switch away from Qualcomm<\/a>\u00a0modems.<\/p>\n When Apple Inc. executives have pondered what new products to sell, they realize they have a bit of a dilemma: The company\u2019s devices are already woven into nearly every part of consumers\u2019 lives<\/p>\n People get their information and entertainment through the screens of iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple TV set-top boxes. AirPods and Beats headphones deliver audio to their ears. And the Apple Watch gives customers a view into their health and fitness. Apple is even trying to literally change the way people see the world through the Vision Pro.<\/p>\n The company can always improve those devices (making them smaller, boosting battery life or speeding up processors), but it\u2019s much harder to find a groundbreaking new innovation.<\/p>\n Apple failed to create a new product category with its\u00a0self-driving car project<\/a>, which was shuttered earlier this year. But the effort did spark an intriguing question within the company: If Apple products can move around on their own, what new experiences could be created?<\/p>\n Though the dream of selling an autonomous car ultimately died, the concept was essentially a giant rolling robot. And the fundamental technology can be applied to other areas. Around 2020, Apple began exploring the idea of having other products\u00a0move around via robotics<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 an effort that\u2019s still very much alive today.<\/p>\n But Apple is still in the early stages of figuring out the best way to use robotics. The test case will be a\u00a0tabletop device codenamed J595<\/a>\u00a0that brings together a large, iPad-like display with cameras and a base that features a robotic actuator. That product likely will arrive around 2026 or 2027, followed by mobile robots and possibly even humanoid models in the next decade.<\/p>\n With robotics, Apple believes it can solve a series of\u00a0first-world problems<\/a>:<\/p>\n Attaching a robotic limb to the iPad, for instance, will potentially make the device more useful for videoconferencing or browsing the web for recipes. If you\u2019re busy in the kitchen, it can swivel the screen around to face you. Someday, an Apple robot could go further. Apple has envisioned machines that can do household chores \u2014 like loading up a laundry machine or scrubbing down dirty plates \u2014 but that\u2019s still so far in the future that the ideas don\u2019t go beyond sketches on a whiteboard<\/p>\n Advances in artificial intelligence will also give the concept a boost. It\u2019s clear that AI will be at the core of any robotic device in the future. But Apple can also apply its expertise in sensors, advanced silicon, hardware engineering and batteries, as well as its ability to map the spaces around devices.<\/p>\n Given all that, some people within Apple say it\u2019s the perfect time to tackle robotics. And shutting down the car project, which had hundreds of engineers with experience in self-driving technology and robotic systems, helped free up staff and resources to pursue the idea aggressively. But others say it\u2019s an exaggeration to describe robotics as some major new frontier that the company will be able to conquer.<\/p>\n A successful robotics device could help Apple finally break into the smart home \u2014 an area where it\u2019s trailed behind Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.\u2019s Google. The tabletop device might be the thing that finally helps Apple home devices stand out.<\/p>\n The work on robots is led by Kevin Lynch, Apple\u2019s vice president of technology, who previously ran the car team as well as watch software engineering. He reports to Apple\u2019s AI chief and works alongside robotics teams within the hardware engineering division. Recently, Apple has hired top robotics experts from places like Technion in Israel.<\/p>\n One vital piece of the robotic work is the creation of a personality. While Siri is the digital assistant on Apple\u2019s current devices, the company is working on another humanlike interface based on generative AI. It could run on the tabletop product and other future Apple robotics devices, I\u2019m told.<\/p>\n To be sure, Apple and the rest of the robotics industry still have a long way to go. Let\u2019s be honest: The robots on the market today are costly,\u00a0not very smart<\/a>\u00a0and lacking in capabilities. There\u2019s also the reality that most consumers are probably not ready to live like\u00a0The Jetsons<\/em>. There are many technical problems to overcome, including having hardware that can successfully roam through cluttered spaces and navigate buildings with multiple floors.<\/p>\nThe Starters<\/h3>\n
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