Javier Lacort
Senior WriterI write long-form content at Xataka about the intersection between technology, business and society. I also host the daily Spanish podcast Loop infinito (Infinite Loop), where we analyze Apple news and put it into perspective.
Something exciting is going on at Apple. The most secretive company in the technology industry, the one perpetually known for its discretion, is publicly showcasing its advances in robotics.
It’s no accident.
A few days ago, Apple released a video showing a robotic lamp, suspiciously similar to Pixar’s Luxo, moving with surprisingly human gestures. It’s not a product but a research project—a good sign of where the company is headed.
While Google, Microsoft and OpenAI compete to create the best conversational AI, Apple seems to be betting on something else entirely—something like “emotional computing,” similar to the “spatial computing” it introduced with Vision Pro.
Apple doesn’t want you to talk to your digital assistant. It wants you to feel it as a companion.
It’s a very Apple move. This is the company that humanized home computers (the grip, the fonts, the iconic handwritten “hello”), made the mobile phone intimate and personal, and now wants to humanize AI systems. And it’s doing it its way: through design, movement and nonverbal expression.
The robot lamp isn’t Alexa with arms. It’s something more subtle and profound: an exercise in expressive computing, demonstrating that machines can convey emotion without words through movement in a very specific style. By the way, Pixar—bought and run by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs—taught us this with Luxo: You don’t need a face to have a personality.
The strategy makes a lot of sense:
- It differentiates Apple from the competition. Other companies are creating the best chatbots, but Apple wants to build the first genuinely empathetic robot.
- It plays to Apple’s historic strengths: design and human-machine interaction.
- It can solve the biggest problem with current AI systems: their inherent coldness.
Timing is also essential. As journalist Mark Gurman predicted months ago, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently confirmed on X, Apple doesn’t expect to release its first robotic product until at least 2026, probably later.
Why is Apple revealing its plans now? Certainly, to attract the right talent and prepare for a cultural shift.
The mass adoption of home robots will require not just a new level of spending but also a profound change in how people think about technology in their homes. It’s not just about functionality; it’s about trust and emotional comfort.
It’s a gamble that carries risks. Consumers may reject the idea of a robot simulating emotions, privacy concerns will arise and the cost of these devices—especially in the early stages—will be prohibitive.
But if any company can do it, it’s Apple. It did it with the iPhone, taking something that once seemed like science fiction and making it an indispensable part of daily life. Since then, despite some successes (AirPods, Apple Watch), the company has faced ongoing pressure to do it again.
Apple can certainly build convincingly expressive robots. But an even bigger challenge remains: convincing people to not only bring machines into their homes but also emotionally connect with them. That may be harder than just getting the device through the door.
Image | Medhat Dawoud (Unsplash)
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