Apple published a research paper last year showing an R&D project for a robotic lamp with personality, and it’s enough to make you instantly want one. If the robotic HomeView similarly animates and moves as though it has a soul, it might even justify the estimated $1,000 price tag.
The report claims that the device, code-named J595, will ship later next year at the earliest, or perhaps in 2028. Most telling is that the hardware has apparently been more or less complete for two years, but is waiting on the software to catch up. Also, there has apparently been some debate about which features should be in the 1st-generation device and which should wait for the 2nd-gen model. According to The Information, the autonomous AI features are ambitious and not ready yet, so the release timing is all about balancing the AI development with the first-generation feature set.
