The company is developing a range of new home devices for next year, including indoor security cameras and a display designed to control appliances and serve as a house command hub. A more advanced tabletop robot – capable of using motors and sensors to move – is slated to follow in 2027.
All three products are on track to be built in Vietnam, a major change in how Apple approaches a new product category, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The company has typically built new devices in China before adding production elsewhere or shifting it to another location.
For the coming home hub and the later robot, the company is teaming up with BYD, a Chinese firm best known for its electric vehicles but increasingly involved in Apple’s hardware supply chain.
BYD will handle what is known as final assembly, testing and packaging. That is the stage where devices are built, tested and prepared for shipment to customers and retail stores.
The company was also planning to expand its manufacturing of iPads with BYD in Vietnam, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiatives had not been announced.
