[SAN FRANCISCO] Apple plots the Artificial Intelligence (AI) comeback with a slate of ambitious new devices, including Robots, a realistic version of Siri, a smart speaker with a display and a home security camera.
Tabletop robots, which serve as virtual companions targeted for 2027, are at the heart of AI strategies, according to sources with knowledge of the issue. Meanwhile, the smart speaker with a display is expected to arrive next year. It's part of a push to entry-level smart home products.
Home security is seen as another major growth opportunity. The new camera locks in Apple security systems that can automate home functions. This approach should help consumers persist in Apple's product ecosystem, said sources that were asked not to be identified because the initiative was not announced.
It's all part of Apple's efforts to restore Mojo. The latest Moonshot project, the Vision Pro headset, remains a sales flop, with the design of bestselling devices being largely unchanged for years.
At the same time, Apple fired fire because it missed the generative AI revolution. Openai could even threaten the grass at its home by developing a new AI-powered device with the help of former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
While Apple is still in the early stages of turning AI software around, executives see the hardware pipeline as a key part of its revival. This will help you challenge new categories such as Samsung Electronics, the Meta platform and more.
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A spokesman for Apple, based in Cupertino, California, declined to comment. The company's plans may still be changed or discarded as the product has not been announced. Much of the initiative and its timeline relies on Apple's continued advancement in AI-powered software.
Chief Executive Tim Cook told employees at this month's All-Hands meeting that Apple must win with AI and suggest devices for the future. “I can't speak to, that's amazing. That's amazing,” Cook said. “You'll see it soon. There's something to come later, but there's a lot to see.”
Beyond Home Devices, Apple is preparing a thin, redesigned iPhone for release this year. Additionally, the company aims to introduce smart glasses, a folding phone, a 20th anniversary iPhone, and an improved headset called the N100. We are also planning a large foldable device that will blend MacBook and iPad.
Apple is considering increasing sales after slowing down the growth of its flagship products for many years. Also, several expansions have been expanded to new areas, including self-driving cars, and pressured them to find other sources of income. Additionally, new initiatives can help counter the idea that the company is no longer innovating as it used to.
Bloomberg News first reported last year that Apple has moved its Tabletop Robotics Project, Code-Neame J595, and is developing a new Smart-Home strategy. But now we have a clear understanding of its market push and what it means for its AI ambitions.
robot
The tabletop robot resembles an iPad mounted on moving limbs. Like a human head, it even asks to the person who is speaking or summoning it, to attract the attention of those who are not facing it.
The hope is to enable AI in ways other hardware manufacturers have not yet done. Apple imagines customers placing it on their desks or kitchen counters and using it to get the job done, consume media and manage the day.
FaceTime calls are also an important feature of your device. During video conferences, the display can be shifted and locked to people around the room. Apple has tested the ability to turn the iPhone screen into a joystick, allowing users to move around the robot and display a variety of people and items in the room during video calls.
But the device features an entirely new version of the Siri Voice Assistant that allows you to inject yourself into conversations between multiple people. You can interact with users throughout the day and easily remember information.
The idea is that the device acts like the person in the room. You can interrupt conversations between friends about dinner plans and suggest nearby restaurants and related recipes. It is also designed to engage in exchange discussions, such as travel planning and task completion, as well as Openai's voice mode.
Apple plans to place Siri in the center of the device operating system, giving it a visual personality and making it feel realistic. This approach, called the bubble, is vaguely reminiscent of Clippy, an animated paper clip from the 1990s, when he served as a virtual assistant at the Microsoft office.
Apple has tested Siri appearing like an animated version of the Finder logo, the iconic smiley face representing the Mac's file management system. No final decision has been made regarding its appearance. The designer is considering ideas similar to Memoji, the playful character who represents Apple user accounts.
The device prototype uses a horizontal display that is approximately 7 inches closer to the size of an iPad mini. The electric arm allows you to extend the display from about half the base in any direction.
Sources familiar with the product call it “Pixar Lamp,” which refers to the famous logo of animated film companies. Apple previously disclosed some research in this field. In January, we published a paper detailing the lighting fixtures that use robotics to move around.
Apple has multiple teams across the AI, hardware, software and interface design group working on the project. This work is led in part by Kevin Lynch, who previously oversaw smartwatch software and pushes to cars.
The technology giant has developed several other robots. There is a team exploring a mobile bot with wheels similar to Astro on Amazon.com, and they are discussing humanoid models in a rough manner.
Apple actively develops large mechanical arms for use in manufacturing facilities, allowing them to handle tasks behind retail stores. The code name of this robot is T1333, which remains several years from now.
Charismatic
The Smart Home Push includes a standalone display poised for launch by mid-next year. That device, codename J490, is a stripped variant of the robot, at least to start, with no arms and Siri for conversation. There is still home control, music playback, take notes, web browsing, and video conferencing. It may also include a new Siri Visual interface.
Both smart displays and tabletop robots run a new, charismatic operating system. It is designed for multiple people to use. The interface mainly focuses on clock faces and widgets, as well as small software features dedicated to specific tasks.
Previously developed as Pebble and Rock, Charismatic combines the approach of Apple TV and Apple Watch operating system. It offers features such as multi-user mode and watch face themes such as Snoopy and Beagle-based on Peanut Comic Strip.
Devices are intended for easy sharing. These include a front camera that allows users to scan their faces as they walk towards them, automatically changing layout, features and content to their preferences.
Some versions of the software use circular app icons and feature a hexagonal grid of apps. Apple plans to include many core apps, including calendars, cameras, music, reminders, note software, and more. However, the interface relies heavily on voice interactions and widgets rather than going in and out of the app.
The device has a touchscreen, but the main input methods are Siri and future upgrades to what is called the app intent. The software allows users to precisely control the interface and applications via voice.
The hardware itself resembles a Google Nest Hub, but is shaped like a square with a light black or white bezel and round corners.
The non-robotic 7-inch display is located on a semi-dome base that contains some electronics, with holes at the bottom edge for speakers and microphones. It can also be mounted on the wall.
The launch marks the first time Apple's serious push for Smart Home, and it will be nearly a decade since Amazon and Alphabet's Google began shipping smart speakers on screens.
In particular, homes are a critical space for Apple to target, as more users consume content from their living rooms and automate home functions.
Apple has long had a strong foothold on mobile devices and has become a player in the automotive industry via CarPlay, but its success has not followed Smart Home. The company launched HomeKit in 2014 to control third-party devices, but its own HomePod speakers have limited success.
Lynwood and Glenwood
The new home device core, and current products such as the iPhone and iPad, are overhaulsing the foundation of Siri.
Engineers are working on a version of codename Linwood using an entirely new brain built around large-scale language models that are the basis of generator AI. The goal is to use personal data to fulfill your queries. This is a delayed ability due to the current version of hiccups.
The new software, known internally as LLM Siri, is expected to be released as early as next spring, Bloomberg News reports. But the work is going even further. Apple is preparing a visually redesigned assistant for the iPhone and iPad, which will debut as early as next year.
Craig Federigi, senior vice president of software engineering, suggested an unexpected overhaul at an internal meeting with employees this month.
“The work we did with this end-to-end improvement at Siri gave us the results we needed,” he said, adding, “this has put us in a position to not only provide what we announced, but offer much greater upgrades than we could have imagined.” He said, “There's no project that people take more seriously.”
Linwood is based on technology developed by the Apple Foundation Models team, but the company also has a competing project called Glenwood, powered by Siri with external technology.
Although no final decision has been made as to which model will be used, Apple is testing the Claude of human PBC for this purpose. Mike Rockwell, former Vision Pro Chief who worked for SIRI earlier this year, oversees both Linwood and Glenwood's efforts.
During the development of Tabletop Robot, Apple engineers used ChatGpt and Google Gemini to build and test the features. Throughout Apple's AI and SIRI team, software developers are increasingly using third-party systems as part of their development process.
Ring Rival
Apple is working on a camera with the code name J450, designed for home security, human detection, task automation. The device is battery powered and can last several months to a year on a single charge equivalent to its rival products.
The device has facial recognition and infrared sensors to determine who is in the room. Apple believes users will help automate by placing cameras all over their homes. That means turning off the lights when someone leaves the room or automatically plays the music they like to a particular family member.
Apple plans to develop multiple types of cameras and home security products as part of its entirely new hardware and software lineup. The goal is to leverage customer loyalty to sell more products by competing with Amazon Ring, Google Nest and Roku.
We also tested doorbells that use facial recognition technology to unlock doors. Apple already sells iCloud+ subscriptions through security footage online storage, but targets third-party cameras. Bloomberg
