According to people who have worked on Apple's robotics projects, the company is developing a 9-inch desktop robot mounted on a rotating arm, aiming for a launch in 2027 but may slide to 2028.

Apple is said to be developing a desktop robot based on HomeView, its recently launched smart display, according to people who have worked on the company's robotics projects. The device has the internal code name J595 and is likely to be sold under the name HomeView Ultra, consisting of a 9-inch screen mounted on a rotating robotic arm. Apple aims to launch it in 2027 at a price of about 1,000 USD, equivalent to about 26 million VND, but the date may slide to 2028. Apple has not announced this device, and HomeView Ultra is only a tentative name, along with other names mentioned such as HomeView Max or HomeView 360.

According to the description, the robotic arm allows the screen to rotate up to 360 degrees, facing the person speaking and using cameras and sensors to follow during FaceTime calls. The device can automatically turn on the light when someone enters the room, and one detail mentioned is that it can tell the cat to jump off the table. The design is compared to the table lamp in the Pixar cartoon.

The hardware was finished about two years ago, but the software was the bottleneck. Apple's software team is said to have proposed pushing back the launch date and finding ways to cut back on features, leaving only things tied to FaceTime and simple housework like turning on the lights. The project's staffing is also skewed: only about 10 real robotics engineers work with about 300 software people. Inside the company is still debating which AI features should be included in the first generation and which features should be saved for the second generation, which has already been mentioned.

Behind the project is the new leadership. According to the above news, Tim Cook approved the project when he was still CEO, and John Ternus, who took office as CEO from September 1, 2026, is supporting and wants Apple to be more serious with robots. He also supports a separate project on robots that do housework such as folding clothes, which require much more complex mechanical arms. It's unclear whether Apple wants to make a multi-purpose humanoid robot or not.

The estimated price is about 1,000 USD, more than three times the price of 299 USD, equivalent to about 7.8 million VND, of the current HomeView. This number may be higher due to rising memory and component prices. The conversion rate is calculated based on the Vietcombank selling exchange rate of 25,990 VND/USD on November 2, excluding tax, and the selling price in Vietnam, if any, will be different.

The current HomeView is an Apple product launched on October 13, with a 7-inch square Liquid Retina screen mounted to the speaker base with a stainless steel hinge, allowing only the screen to be tilted. The device runs Siri AI, recognizes faces of up to six people and has a wall mount version, and costs $299. Goods will start shipping from November 13 in eight markets including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and India. The device is not sold in the European Union because Siri AI is not yet available there, and Vietnam is not on the list.

The idea of ​​desktop robots is not new. Rumors have been circulating since 2024 with a price of around $1,000 and a target launch of 2026 or 2027, when it mentioned a 360-degree rotating screen. From there, the screen size is said to increase from about 7 to 9 inches, and a report in June said the launch date could be pushed back to 2028. The latest report says 2027 is still the target, while 2028 is a possibility if the software can't keep up.

Apple has not confirmed the project, name, price or launch date of the robot. The 7-inch HomeView, priced at $299, will start shipping on November 13.