Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reports that Apple is seeking new sources of revenue and is moving forward with the development of a new smart home command center that combines an iPad-like display and a robotic limb. He writes:
Apple Inc., seeking new sources of revenue, is moving forward with development of a pricey tabletop home device that combines an iPad-like display with a robotic limb.
The company now has a team of several hundred people working on the device, which uses a thin robotic arm to move around a large screen, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The product, which relies on actuators to tilt the display up and down and make it spin 360 degrees, would offer a twist on home products like Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo Show 10 and Meta Platforms Inc.’s discontinued Portal.
The device is envisioned as a smart home command center, videoconferencing machine and remote-controlled home security tool, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work isn’t public. The project — codenamed J595 — was approved by Apple’s executive team in 2022 but has started to formally ramp up in recent months, they said.
The shift into robotics is part of a broader effort to boost sales and capitalize on Apple Intelligence, a suite of artificial intelligence technology that’s coming to the iPhone, iPad and Mac this year. The company also is seeking new growth opportunities after ending efforts to develop a self-driving car earlier this year. […]
In addition, Apple is looking to create a version of its AirPods earbuds that include cameras, letting them better sense the outside world. And it’s working on a giant, foldable iPad — something that might not arrive until 2027 or 2028 at the earliest, according to people with knowledge of the effort.
Apple still gets roughly half its revenue from the iPhone, which has sold sluggishly in recent quarters. The company is planning to launch new models in September that feature better cameras, processors and displays. But that’s only expected to generate modest growth.
Read more here.
