Apple’s next big plan after dumping the Apple Car? Personal robots that follow you around

A new Apple project has come to light which might just be its ‘next big thing’ - personal robots, a project that is being led by senior executives at the company.

Apple is reportedly developing personal robots after discarding its Apple Car project, Mark Gurman says. (Unsplash)

For over a decade, Apple had the ambition to outdo Tesla and other manufacturers in the automotive industry with its vehicle, ubiquitously known as the Apple Car'. It aimed to provide a completely autonomous experience by taking the user to its destination without requiring any human intervention, something which Tesla does not offer with its Full Self Driving (FSD) yet. However, a few weeks ago, the iPhone maker shocked everyone by completely scrapping the project. This left many wondering about the next big source of revenue for the company which finished 2023 as the top smartphone maker in the world.

But in the last few weeks, details about several interesting Apple projects have surfaced including touchscreen Macs, foldable iPads and even AirPods with AI. Now, another Apple project has come to light - personal robots.

Apple and personal robots

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple engineers have been exploring plans for a personal and mobile robot that would follow the user around their home. While the plans are still in the initial stages, Apple has already reportedly developed a tabletop which uses robotics to move a display.

Quoting people familiar with the matter, Gurman further suggested that while the development of the tabletop is at a more advanced stage, it has been added and removed from Apple's roadmap over the years, hinting at uncertainty over its availability to the public in the future. 

The development of the personal robotics project is being led by John Giannandrea, senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, in collaboration with its engineering division. Matt Costello and Brian Lynch are two other Apple executives involved in the project, who currently oversee the company's home products.

This news bolsters claims that Apple's future strategy revolves around three projects - automotive, the home and mixed reality. While the automotive project has already been scrapped, Apple has already launched the Vision Pro as part of its mixed-reality initiative. And if reports are anything to go by, it might also be making headway when it comes to home projects. But will it be in the form of a personal robot or something else? That is still unclear.

One more thing! We are now on WhatsApp Channels! Follow us there so you never miss any updates from the world of technology. ‎To follow the HT Tech channel on WhatsApp, click here to join now!