Máy bàn mới của Apple kết hợp màn hiển thị giống iPad với cánh tay robot

Apple is moving forward with the development of a costly tabletop device for the home that will combine an iPad-like display with a robot arm, according to a Bloomberg report.

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.

Apple purportedly sees the device as a smart home command center that will offer videoconferencing capabilities and seamlessly manage home security. The company’s industrial design team has been exploring robot concepts for years, but there wasn’t a consensus on whether to move forward with the product. Concerns included whether consumers would be willing to pay for such a device and the significant staff resources required to build it; however, both Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP John Ternus are strong proponents of the idea. The company approved the project — codenamed J595 — in 2022, but sources say it has only started to formally ramp up in recent months.

With Apple now prioritizing the device’s development, it could debut as early as 2026 or 2027. Sources indicate the company is aiming to price it around $1,000, though this may change as the release date approaches.

The project is now the sole responsibility of Kevin Lynch, Apple’s VP of Technology. Lynch previously oversaw the company’s failed self-driving car initiative. He’s purportedly enlisted key lieutenants who helped launch Apple Watch to work on the device, as well as, known robotics engineers and researchers.

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