Apple has seemingly selected Hongzhun to play a pivotal role in the development of its upcoming device. The supplier will specifically focus on creating essential mechanical components and casings for the tabletop robot. As the product transitions to mass production, Hongzhun will be responsible for the large-scale manufacturing of these mechanical parts. Hongzhun operates as a subsidiary of Foxconn, a long-time manufacturing collaborator with Apple. During its latest shareholders' meeting, Hongzhun revealed plans to invest in emerging technologies, including robotics and artificial intelligence, indicating a shift from its traditional role of producing casings for laptops and gaming consoles. The company has previous experience in assembling Foxconn's "FoxBot" robot. Apple's robot initiative, reportedly referred to internally as J595, is characterized by Bloomberg as a desktop device that merges an iPad-like display with a robotic arm. It aims to function as a central hub within Apple's smart home ecosystem, seamlessly integrating with other Apple products and services such as Siri, and will operate on a variant of iPadOS. The product could potentially launch as early as 2026, with an anticipated price of around $1,000.