Apple’s planned robot products won’t launch before 2028, per Kuo

Last week, an Apple-made robot lamp video circulated, giving us a sneak peek into how fascinating a future robot product could be. Today, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has chimed in with the latest status of Apple’s internal robotics projects.

Apple robot products still in proof-of-concept, unlikely to launch before 2028

Ming-Chi Kuo writes on X:

The timeline from POC [proof-of-concept] to formal kick-off varies. Given current progress and typical development cycles, Apple’s robot mass production likely won’t start until 2028 or later. Interestingly, Apple has been unusually open about sharing some of its robotics research during the early POC stage—possibly to attract talent.

The video and accompanying research paper highlighted last week gave us the first solid look into what Apple’s robotics projects could look like.

As Mark Gurman has reported before, and Kuo reiterates today, ‘robots’ doesn’t strictly mean anthropomorphic devices.

Kuo says, ”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.”

The robot lamp prototype Apple has publicly shared perhaps provides a glimpse into what the expected tabletop Home robot product will be.

Gurman has said Apple was targeting a 2026 or 2027 launch for that device, but it seems Kuo believes we won’t see anything arrive until 2028 at the earliest. Unless, perhaps, the two disagree on what constitutes a ‘robot.’

Are you interested in Apple’s potential robot projects? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.

Best iPhone accessories