Apple is reportedly exploring “humanoid and non-humanoid robots” for its smart home ecosystem.
Apple is reportedly exploring “humanoid vs non-humanoid robots” for its smart home ecosystem.
The tech company behind the iPhone and the iPad is said to be looking at how robots of the future could benefit household systems, and want to learn more about how users will “build perception” with robots.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote on X: “While the industry debates the merits of humanoid vs. non-humanoid designs supply chain checks indicate Apple cares more about how users build perception with robots than their physical appearance … implying sensing hardware and software serve as the core technologies.”
The analyst added that “production likely won’t start” for another three years at least, and warned that other ventures by the tech giant in recent years have stalled.
The post continued: “The timeline from POC to formal kick-off varies. Given current progress and typical development cycles, Apple’s robot mass production likely won’t start until 2028 or later. Interestingly, Apple has been unusually open about sharing some of its robotics research during the early POC stage—possibly to attract talent.
“People often hear about stages like NPI, EVT, and MP when discussing Apple’s product development, but POC tends to fly under the radar. Essentially, POC is Apple’s testing ground, verifying whether product ideas and core technologies are viable before formal kick-off. Apple’s rumored foldable phone is currently in the POC stage. However, many projects never progress beyond POC—the Apple Car is probably the most notable example of a project that got stuck at this stage.”
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Apple exploring both ‘humanoid and non-humanoid robots for the future
