Apple’s researchers are experimenting with robotics projects, and a recent public demo of their work involved a cute robot lamp prototype. While the lamp isn’t an official new product, it still got me very excited about Apple’s future Home ambitions. Here’s why.
Apple’s big new Home product plans launch this year
It’s rare to get an inside look at Apple products while they’re in development, but last week that sort of happened with the robot lamp video.
Apple showed how robotic devices could interact with humans in an elegant and expressive fashion.
Rather than performing tasks with a simply functional approach, Apple’s lamp prototype expressed human-like gestures and responses—while of course still meeting the user’s needs.
This robot lamp, besides being a product I’d love to have in my home, has gotten me excited for Apple’s smart home ambitions.
Mark Gurman has reported that 2025 will kick off a big new Apple push into Home products. This year we’re expecting to see three launches:
Then in 2026 or shortly after, the company is expected to debut two Home accessories:
And a little further out, Apple’s tabletop robot device will arrive.
All of this is part of a new Apple strategy to integrate AI deeply into an expanded roster of Home products.
Before seeing the robot lamp video, I was already ready to get my hands on Apple’s upcoming Home products.
After seeing the video, though, I became far more excited—and even imaginative—about Apple’s smart home future.
Building an Apple Home lineup that feels alive and fun
Unlike Apple’s lamp prototype, not every smart home product needs to dance along to music it’s playing, or exhibit human-like personality.
But for some products, Apple’s elegant, expressive approach will make the future smart home feel alive in a fun new way.
Apple’s lamp demo actually reminded me a lot of the technology in Sunny, an Apple TV+ show that debuted last summer from A24.
Set in an unspecified future, robots in Sunny are functional but also light up the room in a whimsical way. They aren’t cold and impersonal.
Though I would no doubt buy Apple’s smart home products even without any robotic elements, the lamp prototype makes me eager to see what an Apple Home future would look like. It might not be entirely different from Sunny.
If Apple can build a Home product lineup that takes inspiration from its lamp project, and pairs it with AI, our robot future could look bright.
Are you interested in Apple’s new Home products or robot efforts? Let us know in the comments.
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