Apple’s more advanced robotic HomeView may have been much further along than previously known, with a new report claiming the hardware has been largely finalized for around two years.
According to The Information, Apple has faced internal disagreements over which software capabilities should ship on the first version of the product and which should be held back for a second generation.
That helps explain why a device whose core hardware was reportedly settled years ago is still not expected to reach customers until 2027 at the earliest, with a launch potentially slipping into 2028.
Apple’s reported approach closely echoes what happened with the standard HomeView. Regulatory documents showed Apple was already testing HomeView around two years before its eventual launch, with the product’s arrival widely tied to the company finishing Siri AI.
The current HomeView is built around Siri AI, personalized household experiences and Apple Intelligence rather than functioning like a conventional iPad. Apple also chose not to give HomeView a traditional App Store, emphasizing how tightly the company is controlling the software experience.
The reported HomeView Ultra raises the same challenge on a much larger scale. A device with a motorized display, cameras, sensors and autonomous behavior needs software capable of deciding when to move, what to react to and how to interact with people around it without becoming distracting or unpredictable.
The Information says internal debate has included which features should be ready for the first robotic HomeView and which should instead wait for a later model. That suggests Apple is thinking beyond a single launch even before the first premium version reaches the market.
The Apple Post previously reported that the device is expected to use a roughly 9-inch display attached to a motorized arm capable of rotating through 360 degrees. The robotic HomeView is designed to turn toward whoever is speaking, while the latest report says it could also understand activity in the room and act autonomously.
By comparison, the first-generation HomeView launches November 13 with a fixed 7-inch display, Siri AI, FaceTime and Apple Home controls.
Apple has not announced the robotic model, and both its software feature set and release timing could still change before launch.