New speculations are emerging about Apple’s potential entry into humanoid robotics. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently tweeted that the tech giant is investigating both humanoid and non-humanoid robots to enhance its smart home ecosystem.

The buzz around Apple’s robotic ambitions flared up even more after CEO Tim Cook teased on Twitter that attendees should “prepare to meet the newest member of the family” during an upcoming launch event. However, public sentiment seems to lean towards the belief that this “new family member” might be an updated version of the compact iPhone SE rather than a humanoid robot.

Despite the skepticism, Kuo, known for his reliable predictions about Apple products, stirred conversations with his post.

He stated, “These products are currently in the nascent proof-of-concept stage internally. While the sector debates the advantages of humanoid versus non-humanoid designs, supply chain insights indicate that Apple is more focused on how consumers perceive robots than on their actual physical form.”

The interest in developing humanoid robots accelerated in 2024, with major players such as Tesla, Figure, Nvidia, Agility Robotics, and Boston Dynamics unveiling robots geared toward human-centric environments. A recent report indicates that Meta is also planning significant investments in humanoid robotics.

AI and robotics are evolving rapidly, leading to bold forecasts. Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted in October that by 2040, robots may outnumber humans, potentially reaching over 10 billion within fifteen years.

However, Kuo emphasized that the timeline for any proof-of-concept designs may differ significantly, with mass production of Apple’s robots unlikely to commence before 2028.

“Many initiatives never advance beyond the concept stage,” Kuo remarked. “The Apple Car is a prominent example of a project stalled at this level.”

This isn’t the first time experts have suggested that Apple could roll out a robot as part of its product offerings. Clearly, Apple, which even produced a TV series featuring a robot reminiscent of Apple’s style, is not actively dispelling these notions.

The specifics of Apple’s potential introduction into this market remain a lively topic of discussion. Kuo highlighted that the company referred to its robotic aspirations as “anthropomorphic” rather than simply “humanoid,” hinting that Apple may be considering a device designed to carry out human-oriented tasks while avoiding resembling Sunny.

“Apple executives are trained to understand the customer journey,” explained futurist and Robert Scoble, founder of the Unaligned Newsletter. “Currently, we don’t have robots at home, and they recognize we aren’t ready for a humanoid robot. Thus, they’ll likely start with a range of more specialized and limited robots to gradually acclimate us.”

While Scoble expresses skepticism regarding Apple’s leadership in AI and robotics, he mentioned that the company’s robotic lamp, first mentioned in a paper by Apple’s Machine Learning Research division earlier this year, could serve as a stepping stone to more ambitious endeavors in humanoid robotics. (View the video at the end of the page.)

“If executed well, which it appears to be, this will help consumers adjust to Apple as a player in the robotics arena,” he concluded.

Other industry specialists have pointed out that, despite Boston Dynamics’ impressive demos, the field of humanoid robots still has considerable advancements to make before they can be reliably utilized.

“We are still at the stage where robots need to perceive their surroundings and mimic human behaviors,” remarked Sean Ren, a computer science professor at USC and a co-founder of Sahara AI, in an interview with Decrypt. “The cognitive abilities for reasoning and decision-making remain on par with systems like ChatGPT.”

Phil Elmer-Dewitt, who runs the well-known Apple Blog Apple 3.0, went as far as to say, “If Apple launches a humanoid robot in 2028—or even 2038—I’ll eat my hat.”

Edited by Andrew Hayward