When will the world be ready for personal robots? For some years, I've answered that question as: When Apple releases a robot.
I don't buy Apple products. I don't particularly care about them. But they have a history of frequently knowing when the right time is to introduce the right kind of product. There were Windows tablet computers years before the iPad. And back in early iPod days, Steve Jobs told everyone about how nobody cares about mobile video watching, for example. And then there's the iPhone and iPad, anyway, at the right time to take off.
They don't have a perfect track record of success, but they've been pretty good.
I want to see personal robots, and they've been made for decades. And Google getting into robotics and AI companies is great. Apple making a car is better news, though. If Apple can make cars, Apple can make robots. Even the car is still years out, but we'll see.
And I'm clearly not the only one interested in this angle. I could probably find other examples, but finding one is the most I want to spend time on for now.
