Apple is developing a home robot that will roam the house autonomously, support FaceTime calls and switch on lights when a person enters a room, The Information reported, as cited by Ars Technica. The robot, code-named J595, could be called HomeView Ultra, after the company's HomeView smart display. According to the report, Apple is aiming for a 2027 launch at a price of $1,000 or more, though development delays could push it to 2028.
The earliest prototypes date from 2018. According to people who worked on the project, the team has only about 10 "true roboticists," and many of the original engineers have left, compared with about 300 software staff. Engineers are trying to add more capabilities, mostly AI, to justify the price.
CEO John Ternus is also backing a separate project on robots for household tasks such as folding clothes, according to the report. It is not yet known whether that project involves robotic arms or a humanoid robot.