Apple reportedly turns to home robots after killing its car project

Apple just scrapped its decade-long electric car project in February, and it already seems to have found a new obsession: home robots.

According to a report from Bloomberg, engineers in Cupertino are exploring personal robotics that could follow people around their houses. The company is also working on an advanced tabletop device that uses robotics to swivel a display around.

CNET reached out to Apple, but the company didn't respond for comment. Insiders told Bloomberg that after walking away from the car, home robotics could potentially become Apple's next big bet.

Chores, screens, and walking cameras

Apple's robotics push is currently exploring two distinct form factors.

The first is a mobile bot that roams around the house. Apple reportedly envisioned it as a roaming videoconferencing tool that navigates on its own. Engineers even tossed around wilder ideas, like building a bot capable of handling household chores like washing dishes.

The second project is much further along: a tabletop home device with a robotic arm that physically moves a screen to face you.

Even that tabletop device has had a rocky ride inside Apple. It has been repeatedly added to and removed from the company roadmap over the years, largely because executives couldn't agree on whether to build it at all.

Both concepts remain in early development. If any Apple-branded robot ever actually makes it to your living room, it will likely take several years.

Looking for life after the iPhone upgrade supercycle

Apple is under clear pressure to find new hardware cash cows as consumers hold onto their iPhones longer.

The company has pushed heavily into subscriptions like Apple TV Plus and Apple Music. It also launched the $3,500 Vision Pro, but mass-market adoption for that headset is still years away.

A home robot would give Apple a physical anchor in people's living rooms and a natural playground for its artificial intelligence efforts. It would also pit Apple directly against hardware like Amazon's $1,600 Astro robot, which patrols homes and tags along on video calls.

Why it matters

For everyday consumers, this isn't something to get hyped about today. Building a reliable consumer bot is notoriously hard, and an Apple version would likely arrive with an eye-watering price tag. A robot that does your dishes sounds great, but it remains pure science fiction for now.

For the broader tech industry, this move reveals Apple's scramble to plant an AI flag in the hardware world after its Titan car project went up in smoke. While rivals are racing to release software chatbots, Apple wants to marry AI with proprietary physical hardware where it historically holds high margins.

We think the tabletop robotic display makes genuine sense, while the roaming chore-bot feels like an expensive distraction. A motorized screen solves real smart-display ergonomics without extreme safety or mechanical risks. But building a mobile robot that navigates messy living rooms is an engineering sinkhole that could easily end up on Apple's growing scrap heap.