Coming in 2027: Apple’s $1,000 home robot for FaceTime and switching on lights
Apple robot backed by CEO John Ternus may have hefty price tag and limited uses.
TL;DR
- Apple's new CEO, John Ternus, is supporting the development of household robots.
- The first robot, code-named J595 and potentially named HomeView Ultra, could launch by 2027 for over $1,000.
- Its features include autonomous roaming, FaceTime support, and automatic light control.
- Prototypes emerged in 2018, and the project received approval from former CEO Tim Cook.
- Engineers are working to add more capabilities to justify the high price.
- A separate Apple project is also developing robots for tasks like folding clothes.
- The robot's current features seem underwhelming compared to existing smart home devices.
- Apple has a small team of roboticists (around 10) but a larger software team (around 300).