Lagging in the AI race Apple wants to make desktop robots the center of its AI strategy

Apple is preparing a major update of its product line, betting on a desktop AI robot with a "live" Siri. It will be able to participate in conversations and help with work, entertainment and organizing the day, sources told Bloomberg. The company is looking to recover demand after a slowdown in sales of flagship devices and strengthen its position in the AI race amid what has already become an apparent lag behind other major players.

Apple plans to make a desktop AI robot the centerpiece of its AI strategy, Bloomberg reports, citing sources. The device will act as a virtual companion, helping users with work, media consumption and organizing the day. The company aims to bring AI to life in a way that other manufacturers have not yet managed to do: the robot will be able to turn to a human and move to follow users in the room, respond to voice or gaze, and even try to attract the attention of someone who is not looking at it.

One of the key functions of the new device will be FaceTime calls, the agency's interlocutors said. The robot itself will turn the screen and camera to the speaker, and from the iPhone it will be possible to manually control its movement to show other people or objects in the room. Another feature will be a completely revamped Siri, capable of fitting into conversations between multiple people, remembering information and interacting with users throughout the day. It will be able, for example, to intervene in conversations about dinner plans and suggest restaurants or recipes, as well as engage in conversations to plan trips or complete tasks - similar to OpenAI's voice mode. In shape, the robot will resemble an iPad on a movable "limb," and within the company some have even dubbed it the "Pixar lamp," Bloomberg's interlocutors added. According to them, the launch is scheduled for 2027.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment to the agency. The products have not yet been announced, plans may change or be abandoned altogether, and the timing depends on progress in the development of AI software, Bloomberg adds.

In addition to a desktop AI robot with a live Siri, Apple plans to expand its smart home product line with a speaker with a display and surveillance cameras. The smart speaker will be a simplified version of the robot - without Siri, but with support for home control, music, notes, web search and video calling. The new surveillance cameras will form the backbone of the company's security system, which could automate home functions and further tie users to the Apple ecosystem, Bloomberg's interlocutors said. The launch of these products will be Apple's first serious contribution to the smart home in almost a decade after the launch of similar devices by Amazon and Google, the agency emphasized.

In addition to home gadgets, Apple is preparing to release thinner and updated iPhones this year. In the future, the company is going to introduce smart glasses, a foldable phone, a glass iPhone for the 20th anniversary, updated virtual reality glasses, as well as a large device combining the functions of MacBook and iPad, Bloomberg adds.

Apple is looking to recapture its brand "magic" with an ambitious lineup of new devices to revive demand after a slowdown in sales of flagship products, Bloomberg writes. The company has scrapped a number of projects, including unmanned cars, and is under pressure to find new sources of revenue. Its last major experiment, the Vision Pro augmented reality glasses, failed in sales, and the design of key devices has barely changed for years. New initiatives could also help disprove the notion that Apple is no longer innovating like it used to.

The company has been criticized for failing to catch up in the AI race. During Apple's latest developer conference in early June, for example, it again showed nothing to shake off its status as a lagging player, Wall Street analysts assessed. "No matter how many text autosuggestions and funny emoji you add, they won't fill the gaping void where there should be the intuitive, interactive AI system that Siri could be capable of," Forrester Research's Dipanjan Chatterjee said at the time. Against this backdrop, the company is losing top AI developers - they are moving to competitors. At the same time, in the battle for AI supremacy, ChatGPT developer OpenAI may threaten even the "home" territory of Apple's mobile devices, Bloomberg notes. OpenAI, together with former Apple chief designer Johnny Ive, is already preparing its own AI-based gadgets.

Although Apple is just starting to revamp its AI suite, the company believes the new hardware lineup will be key to regaining ground and competing with Samsung, Meta and other players. CEO Tim Cook said at a recent general meeting that Apple needs to win in the AI space and called the upcoming products "amazing," Bloomberg adds.

At the close of trading on August 13, Apple shares rose by 1.6% to $233.3. This was their highest closing price in almost six months - since March 7. Since the beginning of 2025, the market value of the company still remains in the negative by almost 7%, while the main U.S. stock index S & P 500 rose by almost 10%.

The majority of analysts - 31 out of 48 - still advise investors to buy Apple shares. 15 are neutral and only two recommend selling them. At the same time, the Wall Street consensus price target is only 2.4% higher than the current one.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor