Apple Bets on 'Robot' Instead of Apple Car... Will the Second iPhone Appear?

Early Development Stage... Confidential Project
Apple Car Abandoned, MR Lukewarm... Need to Find New Innovation

Apple has recently halted its 'Apple Car' new business and is now pushing forward with the development of home robots as the next generation of innovation drivers.

On the 3rd (local time), Bloomberg News, citing sources, reported that an internal team related to personal robotics at Apple is carrying out a home robot development project.

According to sources, Apple engineers are developing a mobile robot that follows users around the house and a desktop smart display device using robotics. This project is confidential and still in its early stages, so the final form of the product release is still unclear.

Apple is conducting robot development research within its hardware division as well as its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning sectors.

Bloomberg stated that Apple is likely testing home devices in a house-like laboratory located near its headquarters.

Since the era of founder Steve Jobs, Apple has been seeking next-generation innovations. However, last year, the iPhone alone accounted for 52% of Apple’s revenue. Therefore, the company needs to find new sources of income.

In addition, in February, Apple abandoned the autonomous electric vehicle 'Apple Car' project, which had been under development since 2014 with an investment of about $10 billion (approximately 13.469 trillion KRW). It was criticized as the "worst failure in Silicon Valley big tech history." Although Apple released the mixed reality (MR) device 'Vision Pro,' it has yet to achieve remarkable results. It is expected to take several years before it becomes a major revenue source. Apple has also been criticized for slower AI development compared to OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google.

Before discontinuing the Apple Car project, Apple had identified three major future growth areas: automotive, home, and MR. With Apple Car discontinued and MR having reached the product launch stage, the company is expected to focus on the home sector, including robotics, going forward.

Bloomberg analyzed that Apple aims to secure a larger revenue base in the consumer and home sectors through robotics and leverage AI.