Some Apple fans would like to see the company release a foldable iPad or smartphone like the Pixel 9 Pro fold, others would love to see Apple race to introduce smartglasses while still others would like to see a jazzed up iMac in a new glass embodiment. Others are still hoping for an Apple Car against all odds.

The Apple car failed under the watch of Jeff Williams and Kevin Lynch. The latest Apple rumor is that Apple wants Lynch, who failed with the Apple Car, to now lead a team for some kind of undefined table top robot that no one cares about at this point in time.

We covered one of these rumors from Mark Gurman in a report back in early April titled "With Project Titan being Cancelled, Apple's Crystal Ball Points to developing Home Robotics (Yawn!)." At the time, Gurman wrote: "Engineers at Apple have been exploring a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes. The iPhone maker also has developed an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around."

Today, on a slow August news day, Gurman is back with this same rumor wherein he admits that "Apple’s marketing group was concerned that consumers wouldn’t be willing to pay for such a product. Top software engineering executives, meanwhile, fretted about the staffing resources it would require to build the necessary software."

Further, Gurman states that "The capabilities of the tabletop device have been in flux as well. Some people involved in the project say the features have been scaled back from initial ambitions, with one person describing the development process as a roller-coaster ride. Others within Apple still question whether the device will appeal to consumers and whether the company really needs another tablet-like product …"

Later, Gurman writes that "Apple also has had trouble cracking the market for smart-home devices. Its HomePod speakers haven’t sold as well as models from Amazon and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and the Apple TV set-top box lags behind Roku Inc. devices and other rivals." How true. Amazon and Samsung have toyed with home robots and it's just not ready for prime time.

Lastly, Gurman added that "The product, which relies on actuators to tilt the display up and down and make it spin 360 degrees, would offer a twist on home products like Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo Show 10," as presented below.

One of the rumors of this goes back to Gurman's January 2023 report. It's like a design play-off of the 2001 iMac.

For now, I'll wait for Gurman to present us with a clearer Apple vision for this robotic-thingy when there's something concrete to report on while hoping that we'll be lucky enough to report on a few patents on such a device from the U.S. or European patent offices to verify that the project concept is being taken seriously. For more on this, review the full Gurman report on BNN Bloomberg.

Perhaps it's the "robotic" aspect of this project that's creating a mental block. With so many devices that Apple fans are hoping to see come to market, I don't think an AI robot is one of them. Well, for now at least. 

Perhaps if Apple leaked one concrete idea for this device to help us get our head around it, the project would be cheered on. For instance, think of an AI device for your child's desk to help them with their homework and school projects – like a private tutor. That would get a nibble.

When Google demonstrated their AI "Gemini Live" during yesterday's keynote, an AI tutor was one suggested example of its use which made a lot of sense. Adding it to an AI device from Apple could mark a starting point. 

Do you have any ideas for the use of an Apple AI device? Send in your comments below or on out Twitter feed.