Apple engineers recently worked on a robot that could follow people around the house. This was reported by the Bloomberg financial service on Wednesday (local time). According to informed sources, a tabletop device with a mobile screen has been developed. However, it remains to be seen whether such products will eventually reach consumers.
Apple has abandoned its “Apple Car”: there is (still) a pause in AI
Apple It had abandoned its car project a few weeks ago after about a decade of development and billions of dollars spent. Development of the robot at Apple began within the car project and could benefit from work already done, Bloomberg wrote.
Until now, home robots have been a niche business. Amazon introduced its Astro robot in 2021, which can navigate rooms, accept voice commands and display information on a screen. However, the device, which costs more than $1,500, is currently only available in small quantities in the United States. Amazon recently introduced a version that can be used to monitor commercial facilities.
iRobot Stock May Benefit from Apple's Plans
The report on Apple's alleged plans was followed by a short-term jump in the share price of robot vacuum pioneer iRobot.. Possibly due to the hope that Apple can buy the company to secure its name, based on the iPhone, iPad and company. Amazon recently officially abandoned its plans to acquire iRobot after obstacles from competition watchdogs.
Apple boss Tim Cook is under pressure. While competitors like Microsoft are investing heavily in the artificial intelligence (AI) business, Apple currently has nothing to offer in this field. Perhaps home robots will drive Apple's current share price decline. Because the new Vision Pro computer glasses are unlikely to be a bestseller with a price tag of $3,500.
Apple's profit reaches $97 billion
Apple made $383 billion (around €355 billion) in sales worldwide in 2023. Net profit was $97 billion. That's a rate of a good 25 percent.
Get informed, understand, make the right decisionsHere you can get general information about current financial news. Every Friday as a newsletter.
*Fields marked with an * are required