The iButler? Apple robots to follow users around homes as 'next big thing' after car bid is scrapped

Apple is reportedly venturing into the world of home robotics as the 'next big thing' after scrapping its decade-long plan to create an electric car. 

Engineers at the tech firm have been exploring the idea of a robot that would follow users around their home, Bloomberg reports. 

The plan is said to be in its early stages as Apple races to find new sources of revenue. 

It comes after it pulled its much-anticipated 'Apple Car' while its push to create mixed-reality goggles is expected to take years to become a significant profit driver.

According to Bloomberg, the iPhone manufacturer has also created an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around. 

Sources told the outlet that the robotic display is much further along than the mobile bot but that it has been added and removed from the company's product road map in recent years. 

Prior to scrapping its EV project, Apple told its top executives the company's future revolved around three areas: automotive, the home and mixed reality.

The firm has already released its first mixed-reality product, the Vision Pro headset.

Originally the table-top robotics project was mimic head movements of a person on a FaceTime call such as nodding. 

But the company reportedly had concerned over whether consumers would be willing to spend large amounts for such devices.

Bloomberg reports that Apple's senior executives have been in disagreement over whether to move forward with the product. 

Bosses have said to be exploring other ideas for the robotics market in a secret facility resembling the inside of a house, near its campus in Cupertino, California.

Ever since the Steve Jobs era, Apple has had an obsession with finding its 'next big thing.'

The iPhone accounted for 52 percent of the company's $383.3 billion sales last year.

It had been hoped its EVs - which were expected to sell for $100,000 a car - would add hundreds of billions to its revenue.

But in late February Apple notified its employees it was killing the project which had been in the pipeline for more than a decade. 

Workers who had been developing the car were moved to its Artificial Intelligence (AI) division - though some layoffs were reported as being inevitable.

Now its AI division is investigating the use of algorithms to help bots navigate cluttered space in its customers' homes. 

It follows in the footsteps of Amazon which introduced a home robot called Astro in 2021 for $1,600. However, it remains a niche produce.

Amazon debuted a business-focused version of the bot last year designed to act as a security guard.

Meanwhile the most popular home robot remains the Roomba - which Amazon attempted to acquire before regulatory opposition in 2022 culled the deal.