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Apple Is Reportedly Eyeing the Home Robot Space After Scrapping Its 10-Year Electric Car Project The project is still in its early research phase, insiders said.

By Sherin Shibu

Key Takeaways

  • Apple is working on a mobile robot and a separate robotic smart display, according to Bloomberg.
  • The company is reportedly under pressure to find the next big revenue driver.

Apple engineers are now looking into a mobile robot that can help users around the house, according to "people familiar with the situation" who spoke with Bloomberg chief correspondent and Apple expert Mark Gurman.

Gurman also reported on Wednesday that Apple engineers are working on a separate advanced tabletop home device that moves displays around robotically.

The robotic smart display is "much further along" in development than the mobile robot, according to Bloomberg's sources, but the work for both products is still in its early stages. It's unclear if either project will be released.

Related: Here's the First Picture of Apple's New Device That Updates iPhones While They're Still in the Box

The news shows that Apple has been under pressure to find fresh sources of revenue, the report said.

Apple reportedly told top execs that the company's future centered on three areas: the home, cars, and mixed reality.

With Apple's 10-year electric car project coming to a halt this past February and the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, Apple's first mixed reality headset, hitting shelves in the same month, the only category left for Apple to conquer is the home.

Related: Apple Cancels Its 10-Year Electric Car Project

Apple's past home products include the HomePod smart speaker, which sold 13.5 million units in 2022, according to Statista.

Apple's first quarter results for 2024, announced in February, show that the iPhone is Apple's biggest revenue driver, bringing in $69.7 billion of revenue in that quarter, or more than half of Apple's total revenue.

In the smart home sector, Apple faces competition from household robot market leaders like iRobot, Neato Robotics, Samsung, Ecovas, and Panasonic.

Related: Jon Stewart Says Apple Wouldn't Let Him Talk About AI, Forcing His Exit
Sherin Shibu

Entrepreneur Staff

News Reporter

Sherin Shibu is a business news reporter at Entrepreneur.com. She previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. Her areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. She is a Columbia University graduate.

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