Rumors of an Apple robot are spreading, but will it actually sell?

Apple announced its next product event on Monday, called Glowtime, which will take place on September 9 at the company’s Apple Park headquarters and will be streamed online. As is the case every fall, the company is expected to unveil its next iPhone, the iPhone 16, as well as an update to its iOS operating system.

But beyond hardware updates and an aggressive move toward generative AI, the report says: BloombergApple’s Mark Gurman says Apple is working on a “tabletop robot” and a version that can follow a user, which could be similar to Amazon’s mobile Astro robot. Gurman updated a previous report from April, saying the new hardware could be released in two to three years.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Apple were to move into robotics, as other big tech companies are also developing robots, including Tesla, Amazon, and Nvidia. But some Apple experts don’t see the point.

“My gut feeling is that none of the products described by Gurman have the mass appeal Apple would expect before giving the project the green light,” said veteran journalist and editor Philip Elmer-DeWitt. Apple 3.0, Said Decode.

According to Apple-related media, MacRumorsThe Apple desktop robot could have an iPad-like screen attached to a stand that rotates with the user’s movements.

“Would you buy an iPad attached to a robotic arm that could follow you around during a Zoom call?” Elmer-DeWitt continued. “The universe of people who could use something like that is too small for Apple to pursue.”

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Decode.

Next week’s Glowtime Apple event is focused on iPhones, but the tech giant’s announcements always generate excitement, with investors and consumers alike speculating about what Apple might unveil next. Whether that will include robots at some point remains to be seen.

“It’s a bit like cars and headsets, where Apple is planting a flag in a market that they think will be a promising market someday,” Elmer-DeWitt said. “They have more disposable cash than God, and certainly more than most of their competitors.”

“If rumors of Gurman start a race to get to market first, that’s better for Apple,” he said.