iPhone 17 Pro Max Smart Island upgrade, Apple robot mass production in 2028, which one is more worth looking forward to?
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In recent years, Apple has made continuous breakthroughs in technological innovation and product design, especially its layout in the iPhone and future technology fields has attracted much attention.
The latest rumors show that the iPhone 17 Pro Max may usher in major upgrades to the front camera and TrueDepth system. By adopting "metal meta-lens" technology, the area of the Smart Island will be further reduced, bringing users a more immersive screen experience.
At the same time, Apple is also actively exploring the field of robotics. Although it may take several years for consumers to actually come into contact with Apple robots, its layout in smart home and anthropomorphic hardware has already begun to show signs.
From potential upgrades to the iPhone 17 Pro Max to the future of Apple’s robotics, this article will provide you with a comprehensive analysis of Apple’s latest developments on the technological frontier.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max's Smart Island is smaller again
Apple may be updating the TrueDepth camera in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with rumors suggesting a reconfiguration could make it much smaller in size and the size of the camera island.
The front camera on the iPhone is actually a series of elements, which led to the widespread design of the Notch and Dynamic Island. However, in order to continue to reduce hardware, Apple is apparently making new plans for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. A whistleblower claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will allegedly have a "metal meta-lens."
It is a component that describes the integration of the receiver and transmitter required for Face ID depth mapping, so it uses a smaller aperture instead of two. As a result of the change, fewer elements need to be viewed in the display compared to the iPhone 16 generation.
To match the smaller hole, the UI element used to disguise the aperture could be made smaller and less intrusive to the user. The TrueDepth camera changes are just one step toward Apple completely hiding the Face ID system completely under the display.
Of course, there's also the argument that the iPhone 17 Pro Max claim to be real provides some leeway, as sizing it up to one model would still keep most phones the same size as the existing Galaxy S10 .
iPhone 17 Pro Max only
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will be the only model in the series equipped with specific new features. However, future iPad Pros and the rumored foldable iPad are also expected to be equipped with the same system. Apple does not always limit new features to the highest-end models.
Looking back at the iPhone 15 series, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the only model equipped with a new quad-prism lens, which provides better optical zoom capabilities. In addition, Apple’s improvements to the front camera have made the Smart Island area smaller, and this advantage is likely to appear on the iPhone 17 Pro Max as well.
In this way, Apple can further boost sales of its most expensive iPhone models. Other rumors about the iPhone 17 series include: the Pro model will be equipped with a 48MP telephoto camera, the iPhone 17 Air will adopt a thinner design and improved heat dissipation, and the front camera will also be upgraded to 24MP.
Apple's robots won't be mass-produced until 2028
Apple's work in robotics so far is impressive, but consumers will have to wait until 2028 at the earliest to buy an Apple robot.
Apple has been working on robotics for a long time, recently leading to a novel prototype shown in a video. However, there is still a long way to go before anyone can buy an Apple robot in some form.
Prominent analysts have suggested that Apple is actively working on robots for the smart home, both in non-human and humanoid form. So far, they are still at the internal proof-of-concept stage, not anything the public could even consider using.
At the same time, the whistleblower said that human robots may not be so important to Apple. Apple cares more about practicality. In other words, Apple prefers anthropomorphic creations such as lamp concepts rather than hardware that is more similar to humans. For the whistleblower, this means that sensor hardware and software are Apple's core technologies.
Long wait times and talent acquisition
As for when consumers might get their hands on an Apple robot, the tipster has some bad news. While the timeline between proof of concept and official launch may vary, the tipster estimates that mass production of the robot won’t begin until 2028 or later.
This is a bit later than previously speculated rumors about a robotic arm with an iPad attached to it. The device was proposed as early as August 2024, and is expected to be launched in 2026 or 2027, with a price of around 13,999 yuan.
The tipster also adds insights into the production process and how Apple is “unusually open” about the proof-of-concept phase this time around. While rumors often discuss the product development phases of NPI, EVT, and MP, Apple typically doesn’t offer any real hints about proof-of-concept creations.
It is recommended that POC is a test basis to verify whether the product idea and related core technology are feasible before the official kick-off. In many cases, projects have gone through the POC stage but failed to proceed, such as the Apple Car. Therefore, Apple's openness to the "Pixar Lamp" robot concept is very unusual.
The tipster said this could be a move to "attract talent" to further flesh out its robotics concept. The company has posted job openings for robotics engineers and other roles in the field, which certainly suggests Apple is willing to explore the field further.
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