Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Exploring 'Mobile Robot' That 'Follows Users Around Their Homes'
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Let me answer your question in full - biometric capabilities of AW (S9 in my case) are of most interest and usefullness for me. As an aging amateur athlete, I keep track of my physical performance during training and competitions, my HR, cardio, O2, sleep quality, readiness/recovery. Although other devices have these capabilities (and some outperform AW in specific tasks), AW offers unparalleled collection and integration of all data without sacrificing or limiting other aspects of the AW fuctions or forcing me to have expensive subscriptions to use those features. So, yes, I wear the AW 24/7 and it would be great if Apple found a way to extend battery capacity further. This is where my original comment was directed at - the amount of developer and engineer efforts spent on solving a standing problem versus a robot who's going to follow me around. Yet, as your question implies, it is not an issue for some since one can simply charge AW overnight.
Here goes another $2 billion+ wasted on R&D. Apple has been so successful that they are now in a difficult position, given Wall Street and capitalist's eternal thirst for ever increasing revenues and profits. It seems like just maintaining current revenue and profit levels is not satisfactory.
Any other company could more easily continue to boost their P&L, but Apple is unique, I think, in that their success came from products released (starting with the iPhone) that both sold at ridiculously high volume (units) and very high profit margins. Not many companies can pull this off today.
Can Apple innovate and create interesting new products that would appeal to the masses? Absolutely. Their limitation is their belief that every product they release needs to have the massive profit margins they are used to having. They could achieve higher revenues, and eventually larger profit (which are destined to stall in the current trajectory), if they reduce the profit margin as it will increase unit sales and help the success of new product categories and services.
I see the news on the random things Apple is rumored to be working on, like for example the HomePod with an iPad/screen attached, and I would love to see those products come to life as I think it would be great. But think the product would be dead on arrival as Apple will price it in a way that will ensure only the die hard fanboys will buy. Unless a new product can sell at iPhone levels (volumen-wise), it won't move the needle on the overall Financial results each quarter/year.
Any other company could more easily continue to boost their P&L, but Apple is unique, I think, in that their success came from products released (starting with the iPhone) that both sold at ridiculously high volume (units) and very high profit margins. Not many companies can pull this off today.
Can Apple innovate and create interesting new products that would appeal to the masses? Absolutely. Their limitation is their belief that every product they release needs to have the massive profit margins they are used to having. They could achieve higher revenues, and eventually larger profit (which are destined to stall in the current trajectory), if they reduce the profit margin as it will increase unit sales and help the success of new product categories and services.
I see the news on the random things Apple is rumored to be working on, like for example the HomePod with an iPad/screen attached, and I would love to see those products come to life as I think it would be great. But think the product would be dead on arrival as Apple will price it in a way that will ensure only the die hard fanboys will buy. Unless a new product can sell at iPhone levels (volumen-wise), it won't move the needle on the overall Financial results each quarter/year.
I already have a bunch of kids following me around everywhere I go. I really don’t need this lol.
I'm thirsty / I'm hungry / I'm bored / Can we go outside / Can we go upstairs / Can we go for a ride / Are we there yet / I'm tired + I don't want to go to bed / I'm not tired / I'm still bored ... Etc.
Imagine the future - much more mundane than we assume, and AI gear just wants constant attention and recharging.
My Tesla pretty much already drives itself with the new FSD update. Within 5 years we should have it fully operational.
Are pedestrians, animals, non-self driving cars and other complex hazards going to disappear in five years? No? Then fully self driving cars won’t arrive on that timeframe. In fact, fully self driving cars are very likely never coming in any significant way due to the complexity of the real world where mistakes can be lethal.
lol the same system that has multiple accidents and deaths and relies on cameras to operate?
So many Tesla drivers can agree with me FSD isn’t ready. The free month of FSD only affirmed this.
As much as Elmo tells you it’s coming - it’s not. He lies a lot.
Never? That’s a crazy statement. If it’s not 5 years (which I would be shocked given how advanced level 4 autonomy is), it will eventually come. “Never” is a crazy statement to make.
Have you tried the latest version? Incredibly impressive. The system is closer than ever. Will we be able to have full autonomy simply with cameras and the current hardware? I doubt it. But they could reach level 4 autonomy in the next 5 years and claim victory.
Secondly, nobody believes in Elon time, but that autonomy will arrive is only a matter of time, not “if” anymore.
Yeah, not now or in 2,000 years. That’s like reading about those people that said horses would “never” be replaced by machines or humans will “never” reach the moon. 🙄