Apple is moving forward with its project to develop a tabletop robotic device, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.

MacRumors rendering of a similar device based on the G4 iMac

The device would feature a large iPad-like display mounted on a “thin robotic arm” that would allow the display to tilt and up and down and rotate a full 360º, and it would serve as a “smart home command center,” a videoconferencing machine such as for FaceTime calls, and a home security monitoring tool.

The tabletop robot would leverage Siri and Apple Intelligence, allowing it to respond to an array of verbal commands, recognize different voices, and automatically orient the display to face users in the room.

While Apple has been toying with the idea for some time, Gurman says Apple has recently prioritized development of the device, putting it under the purview of Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology who has overseen such projects as the Apple Watch and Apple’s defunct self-driving car venture.

Apple is now looking to launch the device as soon as 2026 or 2027 and is aiming to get the price down to around $1,000, though plans may change as development proceeds.

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Launch Is Just One Month Out – Here’s Everything We Know

Apple typically releases its new iPhone series in the fall, and a possible September 10 announcement date has been floated this year, which means we are just one month away from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year’s lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design…

Apple’s M3 MacBook Pro Gets Up to $1,000 Off In Major New Sales, Starting at $1,299 [Updated]

Apple’s M3 MacBook Pro is seeing multiple high value discounts on Best Buy and Amazon today, with up to $1,000 off select models. This includes a new all-time low price on the entry-level M3 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro at $1,299.00, down from $1,599.00, and a massive $1,000 discount on the high-end 16-inch model exclusively for Best Buy members. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best…

The iPhone 16 is Getting a New Button: Here’s What It Can Do

Multiple rumors have suggested that the iPhone 16 models are going to have an all-new button that’s designed to make it easier to capture photos when the devices are held in landscape mode. Apple calls the button the Capture Button internally, and it is going to be one of the most advanced buttons that’s been introduced to date with support for multiple gestures and the ability to respond to …

Everything New in iOS 18.1 Beta 2 and iOS 18 Beta 6

Apple is beta testing iOS 18 and the first update to iOS 18 concurrently, and we got the second betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 today alongside the sixth betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15. Many of the changes in iOS 18.1 are focused on bringing the .1 betas in line with the standard betas, which recently received updates to Photos and Safari, while…

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year’s iPhone 17

Apple’s iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple’s 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip…

Next Year’s Slim iPhone 17 Could Be an ‘iPhone Air’

Apple’s rumored iPhone 17 “Slim” could be positioned as an iPhone “Air” to boost sales, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Gurman explained how the “fourth” model in the iPhone lineup since 2020 (the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 15 Plus) has largely been a commercial failure. In the case of the Plus model,…