We’re just a little over a week away from Apple officially launching the Apple HomeView, but it’s no secret that a higher-end model is currently in development, and the latest report from The Information has revealed even more details about this upcoming product.

According to Aaron Tilley, this ‘HomeView Ultra’ will essentially be Apple’s first robotic device. He believes that“Apple’s new CEO John Ternus wants the company to get serious about robots.” Now, how will this product be “robotic?” If you take a look at the soon-to-be-released Apple HomeView, its design was largely based on the iconic iMac G4’s”sunflower” design; however, the built-in 6-inch Liquid Retina display is only tilt-adjustable, so you can’t swivel the arm around 180 degrees, unlike the iMac G4. But one benefit is that fewer moving parts mean a less fragile design.

This report states that the upcoming higher-end device will feature a larger 9-inch display that will actually pivot aroundboth horizontally and vertically, which should closely resemble the adjustability of the iMac G4’s built-in arm and live up to the iMac G4’s original design overall. In addition to that, this device is rumored to be Apple’s most ambitious project yet, as the report indicates that the device will utilize machine-learning algorithms, cameras, and sensors to detect the environment and surroundings, meaning the display will”follow” the user around whenever they’re on a FaceTime call or even know when to turn off smart-home accessories within the room when the person leaves that room, for example.

Here’s how Tilley explains it:

Apple initially began working on the robot in 2019—code-naming it J595—and had modest ambitions for it, envisioning it mostly as a device for video calls. Its robotic arm was intended to allow it to follow someone wherever they were in a room. But hopes for the robot ballooned once Apple executives began wanting to add AI capabilities to it.

The current design for the robot envisions it using a camera and sensors to be fully aware of its environment and act autonomously, allowing it to turn on the lights when someone walks into a room—or perhaps even try to tell a cat to get off a table. It is meant to be smart enough to avoid accidentally hitting objects around it.

Although the report indicates that the hardware has been ready, the software appears to hold the device back from even a product launch. We’ve seen this before with Apple’s recently announced home products last month. For example, the Apple HomeView will initially ship with HomeView Software version 26.5, which suggested that the launch was delayed due to Apple getting Siri AI ready for that device.

Given how advanced the technologies will be for this product, he expects the pricing to be “around $1,000”, though overall costs for components could raise the price a bit higher. He also heard word from several former employees that Apple could use the “HomeView Ultra” branding, but we have not seen Apple using the “Ultra” branding on entirely new products, particularly for the iPhone Duo and the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display. Maybe Apple could brand this the “HomeView Pro,” or the “HomeView Duo” if the screen would also be detachable (hey, that’s a cool concept).

Anyways, he expects Apple to launch this product as early as next year, with a possibility of a delayed launch going into 2028.

Would you be interested in this robotic device? Sound off in the comments below.