Apple was slow to enter the AI space, launching its own solution, Apple Intelligence, nearly two years after the emergence of ChatGPT. Now, it seems the company is gearing up to delve deeper into the space, exploring robotics that would leverage its expertise in hardware and software.
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The robots
On Wednesday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared in an X post that Apple is exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robots. These robots are still in the early proof-of-concept stage internally and would be incorporated into the Apple smart home ecosystem.
Apple is exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robots for its future smart home ecosystem, and these products are still in the early proof-of-concept (POC) stage internally. While the industry debates the merits of humanoid vs. non-humanoid designs, supply chain checks…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) February 12, 2025
Kuo added that Apple is more invested in how users interact with the robot than in how the robots themselves look. Apple uses anthropomorphic robots as opposed to humanoid robots, with sensing hardware and software at the core. Samsung has taken a similar approach with its smart home robot, Ballie. This basketball-looking robot can assist users throughout their homes and complete tasks such as greeting them at the door, projecting notifications, and more.
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Last November, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared that Apple is working on a smart home display that can control appliances, support video calls, use AI to navigate apps, and feature Apple Intelligence, which Apple may introduce as soon as March, according to the report. With a clear intention to expand into the smart home space, it is fitting that Apple is exploring robots to add to the ecosystem, according to Kuo’s report.
Timeline
Kuo shares that Apple’s mass production of robots likely won’t start until 2028 or later, if the robots even make it into production. The post highlights how some of Apple’s proof-of-concepts don’t even make it past that stage, such as the Apple Car, which never made it into production.
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The progress made in the AI space has accelerated the pace at which humanoid robots can be developed, and as a result, we have seen many tech companies rush in on the action. OpenAI and Tesla are both hiring to grow their robotics teams, and Apptronik just announced the closing of a $350 million Series A funding round to accelerate the deployment of Apollo, its 5-foot, 8-inch, 160-pound robot.
