Apple Developing Robot As “Next Big Thing” After Dumping Electric Car Project

After shocking its fans – and everyone else – with the recent decision to give up on developing an electric car after sinking billions of dollars into the now defunct project, Apple – perhaps deciding to quietly move on beyond the neck brace also known as the Vision Pro – has set its sights on a new “next big thing”: according to Bloomberg, Tim Cook’s company – which is currently being sued by the DOJ for being a monopolist – is pushing into personal robotics, “a field with the potential to become one of the company’s ever-shifting “next big things,” according to people familiar with the situation.”

According to the report, Apple’s engineers have stolen Elon Musk’s Optimus concept come up entirely on their own with the truly original and unique idea of pursuing a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes. It wasn’t clear if the code name of the robot is iOptimus. The iPhone maker also has developed an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around. We hope this won’t be called the iEchoShow.

Having been accused – accurately – by pretty much everyone that it hasn’t come up with an original idea since Steve Jobs died (sorry, but buybacks and moar buybacks doesn’t count), Apple is under growing pressure to find new sources of revenue, and while this effort is in its early stages – and it’s unclear if the products will ultimately be released – it seems that we now have a race on for the first company to release the real-world version of the T-800.

Apple scrapped its long-running electric vehicle project in February, and a push into mixed-reality goggles is expected to take years to become a major moneymaker, if ever.

With robotics, Apple could gain a bigger foothold in consumers’ homes and capitalize on advances in artificial intelligence. But it’s not yet clear what approach it might take; it is also not clear if Apple can catch up to other companies that have a substantial lead over it, like Tesla and Microsoft. Though the robotic smart display is much further along than the mobile bot, it has been added and removed from the company’s product road map over the years, according to the Bloomberg report.

Some more details:

The robotics work is happening within Apple’s hardware engineering division and its AI and machine-learning group, which is run by John Giannandrea. Matt Costello and Brian Lynch — two executives focused on home products — have overseen the hardware development. Still, Apple hasn’t committed to either project as a company, and the work is still considered to be in the early research phase. A spokeswoman declined to comment.

Before the car project was canceled, Apple told its top executives that the company’s future revolved around three areas: automotive, the home and mixed reality. But now the car isn’t happening and Apple has already released its first mixed-reality product, the Vision Pro headset, to – well – very mixed reviews.

So the focus has shifted to other future opportunities, including how Apple can better compete in the smart home market.

Ironically, after the report that Apple’s was betting its future on robots, the robots that trade stonks were not too happy, and sent AAPL stock tumbling, only to rebound as yet another group of robots rushed to BTFD.