Apple Accelerates AI Ambitions With Launch of Robots, Smart Displays, and Home Security Devices
Cupertino, California — Apple Inc. is preparing to make a significant entry into the artificial intelligence (AI) and smart home markets with an ambitious new hardware lineup that includes AI-powered robots, smart displays, and advanced home security cameras. Sources familiar with the company’s plans reveal the centerpiece of this strategy will be a lifelike tabletop robot, expected to launch in 2027.
According to investigative reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and other sources, Apple aims to redefine Siri, its voice assistant, by turning it from a phone-based helper into a household companion with a distinctly human-like presence. The upcoming robot device will feature a 7-inch iPad-like screen mounted on a motorized arm capable of swiveling and repositioning to face users throughout the room, effectively acting like a living presence. This design has been internally nicknamed the “Pixar Lamp” due to its resemblance to the iconic lamp character.
AI-Powered Tabletop Robot: The Heart of Apple’s New Lineup
The tabletop robot represents Apple’s most ambitious hardware project since the original iPhone. The device’s AI—powered by Apple’s evolving intelligent systems—will feature a major upgrade to Siri, capable of holding extended conversations, remembering user preferences, and suggesting relevant tasks such as recipes or local restaurant recommendations. For example, it could interject during a social conversation to offer useful information, much like a person in the room.
The robot will also support functions like FaceTime video calls, equipped with features akin to Apple’s Center Stage technology, which tracks people’s movement to keep them centered in the video frame. Furthermore, Apple is exploring control options such as a joystick to manually position the device’s display during calls.
While still in the prototyping stage, Apple is testing animated visual personalities for Siri on the robot, including a graphic inspired by the classic Finder icon, aiming to give the assistant a warm, approachable identity. The company targets a 2027 release, though this timeline may shift as Apple works through development challenges.
Expanding Into Smart Displays and Home Security
In addition to the robot, Apple plans to launch a new smart display and an AI-integrated home security camera expected as soon as 2026. The smart display will function similarly to offerings from competitors like Amazon and Google, combining voice interaction, video calls, and AI-powered notifications within Apple’s privacy-centric ecosystem.
The home security camera will feature Siri-based voice controls, facial recognition, and contextual smart alerts, all designed with Apple’s trademark privacy-first principles. This initiative marks Apple’s serious push into the home security market, aiming to compete against well-established players and further integrate the Apple ecosystem into users’ everyday lives.
Strategic Vision and Industry Context
Apple CEO Tim Cook has described the upcoming product pipeline as “amazing,” signaling confidence in the company’s direction amid flattening iPhone sales and increasing competition. These new AI-driven devices are poised to invigorate Apple’s innovation image by offering unique user experiences that blend hardware, AI software, and privacy at their core.
Despite this bold vision, Apple is entering markets where Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, and Meta have significant advantages due to earlier AI deployments and product diversity. Success will depend heavily on how natural Siri’s upgraded AI appears to users and how smoothly the devices perform in real-world environments.
Apple’s current efforts also include the development of a mobile robot equipped with wheels and a mechanical arm aimed at industrial and retail applications, signaling the company’s interest in broadening AI robotics beyond the consumer space.
Persistent challenges remain, especially as Apple’s AI capabilities, including an advanced large language version of Siri, have not fully launched yet. However, Apple is reportedly considering partnerships with third-party AI providers such as Anthropic or OpenAI to bridge gaps while it refines its internal models.
As AI becomes an increasingly important frontier in technology, Apple’s expansion into AI-enabled robotics, smart home security, and dynamic displays could mark a transformative chapter in the company’s history, fundamentally changing how users interact with their devices and environments.
Looking Ahead
While Apple’s new AI home products are still a few years away from market launch, their development highlights the tech giant’s commitment to innovation beyond personal devices. By blending sophisticated robotics with upgraded AI personalities, Apple is crafting a future where Siri lives outside the phone, becoming a vibrant part of the household.
Industry watchers and consumers alike will closely watch Tim Cook’s announcement timeline, expected to reveal more details soon, to see whether Apple can successfully deliver on its ambitious goals in artificial intelligence and smart home technology.