Apple is reportedly preparing a new category of home device: a robot that can move around the house, join FaceTime calls and switch on lights when someone enters a room. The project, code-named J595, could arrive in 2027 at a price of $1,000 or more, though delays could push its debut into 2028.¹

The effort is not new. Early prototypes emerged in 2018 and were approved for further work under then-chief executive Tim Cook. Now, Apple’s new CEO John Ternus is said to be backing the project, alongside a separate effort aimed at robots capable of household tasks such as folding clothes.¹

J595’s reported design is notably restrained. Rather than pursuing a general-purpose humanoid machine, Apple is focusing first on a mobile, AI-driven home device—possibly called HomeView Ultra—that can roam autonomously while acting as a FaceTime terminal and smart-home controller.¹ That caution has a practical logic: a limited-purpose robot presents fewer technical and safety challenges than an autonomous machine operating broadly around people.

But the commercial case is far less settled. Engineers are reportedly trying to give the device more to do than serve as a “fancy way to make FaceTime calls,” an acknowledgment that its current headline features may struggle to justify a four-figure price.¹ Smart speakers, displays and robot vacuums already perform pieces of that job at lower cost and with clearer household value.

Apple’s staffing also underscores the difficulty of the bet. The company reportedly has only about 10 “true roboticists,” despite a software group of roughly 300 people and years of work on the project.¹ By 2027, Apple may have built a polished robot. It still has to prove it has built a reason to buy one.