Apple is reportedly developing a premium HomeView built around a motorized arm that spins 360 degrees and turns the display toward whoever's speaking, per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. A larger 9-inch screen, a 2027-2028 target, and an identity crisis about whether it's a "Max," an "Ultra," or something with its own name.

We’ve only just got the first HomeView, but the Cupertino crew is thinking about the long-game here, and it expands into a companion era I’m not sure we’re ready for — with a fascinating backstory.

Per Gurman, the arm-equipped device pairs the motorized base with a bigger 9-inch display — up from the 7-inch panel on the standard HomeView just announced. But what’s key to note is that this is not HomeView 2.

It’s a more premium experience, and a companion that is actually able to rotate on its base and look at you as you walk around a room. Less of a passive device on your kitchen countertop and one that can actively engage with you — with a rumored $1,000 price tag penciled in for a 2027 launch.

In February 2025, Apple Machine Learning Research published a video of a robot lamp research demo — a little articulated Pixar-looking lamp that watched a person move around a room, and responded with something uncomfortably close to personality. Head tilts. Leaning in. The unmistakable energy of Pixar’s mascot coming to life with a machine learning degree.

Nobody treated it as a serious thing at the time.

Source link