When it comes to tech trends, Apple can be the starter of the trend or come late to the party. It may have revolutionized the smartphone industry, but it lags behind in AI, as seen with Apple Intelligence.
Apple appears to have set its sights on a new technology that is still in its infancy, but it's advancing rapidly. The company that looks to be leading the push for this tech is none other than Elon Musk's company, Tesla.
The iPhone maker is reportedly interested in becoming a robot maker, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo as first spotted by TechCrunch.
"Apple is exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robots for its future smart home ecosystem, and these products are still in the early proof-of-concept (POC) stage internally," Kuo said on X Wednesday.
Leading the company's robotic work is Kevin Lynch, the executive who was responsible for developing the software for the Apple Watch and formerly the head of the now-defunct Apple Car project, according to Bloomberg. These robots are likely several years away from ever coming to fruition.
Apple didn't immediately respond to an email asking for confirmation about its interest in making robots.
Apple is exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robots for its future smart home ecosystem, and these products are still in the early proof-of-concept (POC) stage internally. While the industry debates the merits of humanoid vs. non-humanoid designs, supply chain checks…February 12, 2025
Tesla is betting big on robots
The tech company making the biggest push for robots is Tesla. The car company has been promoting its Tesla Optimus robot since 2021 when its announcement consisted of a person dressed up in a robot outfit.
Last year, the company heavily pushed the promise of a robot future with videos featuring the robot in action although there were questions on how much work the robot was actually doing.
A media event featuring several Optimus robots demonstrated how these machines could work the bar or serve drinks with witty banter, but they weren't totally independent and reportedly required humans to handle some interactions remotely.
Nevertheless, Musk expects 2025 to be a big year for the Optimus robot. During a Tesla earnings call last month, the CEO said while the company won't reach its goals in the number of robots he said it would produce, it's going to come close.
"Will we succeed in building 10,000 exactly by the end of December this year? Probably not, but will we succeed in making several thousand? Yes, I think we will," Musk said on the earnings call as reported by Business Insider. "Will those several thousand Optimus robots be doing useful things by the end of the year? Yes, I'm confident they will do useful things."
Meta wants in on the robots, too
Apple isn't the only one now getting into the robot race. Meta is reportedly interested in making its own robots.
The social media company began investing in robot technology and created a new team in its Reality Labs hardware division to handle the work, Bloomberg reported Friday. Meta reportedly plans to make humanoid robot hardware to take care of household chores, and the company wants to make the AI and the tech that will power robots manufactured and sold by other companies. The report says Meta doesn't want to make a Meta-branded robot to compete directly with Tesla's Optimus.
Meta is currently leading the market when it comes to AR glasses with its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The company reportedly sold more than 2 million pairs of the glasses.
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