Apple has your desktops, satchels and pockets. Now it wants your home. A new operating system, currently codenamed Charismatic but expected to be formally called homeOS, is in development and signals Apple’s push into consumer robotics.
Apple’s ambitions for control of the home are not new. It introduced HomeKit in 2014 as part of iOS 8 but has lagged behind Amazon and Google, who took a more open approach than Apple, meaning most of the home action and smart home accessories don’t wrk with Apple’s Home app.
That’s led to the development of platforms such as HomeBridge that provide a bridge between non-HomeKit devices and Apple’s Home app.
Rumours point to Apple releasing a couple of significant home products. One is a device that is best described as an Apple HomePod speaker with an attached display. Rumours of that device have been around for some time. But a more recent leak, revealed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests another smarthome device.
The new device is expected to be a tabletop robot that looks like an iPad on a robotic arm that can be used for FaceTime calls and monitoring and managing other devices that are accessible via Apple Home. This will be Apple’s first foray into consumer robotics.
While Apple’s car project, Project Titan, was put on blocks it seems the work done on the use of AI and robotics has not gone to waste.
We aren’t likely to see homeOS until 2027.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.