Apple may venture into home robotics, predicts analyst

For a company that has managed to make its presence felt in almost every major tech arena there is, be it smartphones, tablets, music, et al, it might get a little tricky to figure what can come next. Steven Milunovich, a UBS analyst, now suggests that "Apple could eventually move into the home robotics market,". However, he added, we might be more than a decade away of seeing it actually happen, reports Forbes.

Explaining it further, Milunovich says, "robots for the home would represent a new category, require substantial innovation, and leverage Apple’s ease-of-use knowledge and brand." Here, Milunovich also brings in Siri, Apple's popular voice assistant, which he believes will be big and play a more vital role in the Apple products that are to come. In his report, Milunovich further notes that with time - with Siri getting better at learning more about the user, it could become a 'digital assistant of sorts.' He adds, "Over time, Siri could become your advisor across digital platforms, kind of like Jarvis is to Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies.”

Coming down to the what would be on most minds now - What would Apple name it? No, not iRobot, for the report clears that iRobot (IRBT) name has been taken already. The report cites, "If Apple is going to get into the home robotics market, of course it needs a catchy name. iRobot (IRBT) is already a company, so something else would be needed. iAssistant? iRosey? (after the Jetsons robot). No doubt the marketing mavens at Apple could come up with a name consumers would associate with the category."