Apple on Monday announced its next product event, dubbed Glowtime, on September 9 at the company's Apple Park headquarters and online. As every fall, the company is expected to reveal the next iPhone, the iPhone 16, as well as updates to the iOS operating system.
Aside from the hardware upgrade and aggressive move toward generative AI, however, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple is working on a “desktop robot” that can also follow the user, which could be similar to Amazon's mobile Astro. Robot. Gurman, updating a report from earlier in April, said the new hardware could launch in two to three years.
Apple's foray into robotics shouldn't come as a surprise since other big tech companies are making robots, including Telsan, Amazon, and Nvidia. But some Apple watchers don't see the point.
“My feeling is none of the products [Gurman] Apple defines the mass appeal it expects before green-lighting a project,” veteran journalist and lead developer of Apple 3.0 Philip Elmer-DeWitt told Decrypt.
According to MacRumors, an Apple-focused media outlet, Apple's desktop robot has an iPad-like screen attached to the base to track the user's movements.
“Would you like to buy an iPad attached to a robotic arm that can follow you around during zoom calls?” Elmer-DeWitt continued. “The universe of people who could use something like this is too small for Apple to keep track of.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Decrypt.
While next week's Glowtime Apple event is focused on the iPhone, the tech giant's announcements always carry an air of anticipation, with investors and consumers speculating about what Apple will reveal next. Whether or not it will one day add a robot remains to be seen.
“It's a little bit like a car and a headset — planting a flag in what Apple thinks might one day be a promising market,” Elmer-DeWitt said. “They have more disposable income than God and certainly more money than most of their competitors.”
“If the Gourmand rumor starts a race to be the market leader, it's even better for Apple,” he said.
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