Apple Inc. has renamed the accompanying software as the latest indication of an impending release. The company is intensifying work on mixed-reality headgear, its first significant new product category since the Apple Watch.
According to the most recent post by
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple will call its future mixed reality AR/VR headset's operating system "xrOS" rather than "realityOS" or "rOS," which was the initial idea for the platform. According to reports,
Apple registered trademarks for "Reality" names for AR and VR headsets earlier this year.
Gurman Reports
Gurman says that "extended reality," which is what users of the headset may look forward to whenever it is finally released, is denoted by the "XR" in "xrOS." Fusing augmented reality with mixed reality will be accomplished so that footage of the user's surroundings can be sent through the visor and displayed to them.
People who know the situation claim that the corporation intends to launch the headset as early as next year, complete with a specialized operating system and app store for third-party apps. The corporation recently changed the operating system's name internally from "realityOS" to "xrOS," according to the people who asked to remain anonymous because the project is still secret.
The new software's moniker refers to the mixed-reality capabilities of the helmet. This word relates to extended reality (XR), a notion encompassing both augmented and virtual reality.
The mixed-reality operating system will also provide updated versions of well-known apps like Messages and Maps. Third parties can create apps and games for the mixed-reality operating system using a software development kit.
The device will compete with services like Zoom and Meta's Horizon Workrooms by offering virtual collaboration features and a VR version of FaceTime, according to people who know the company's intentions.
Internally known as "realityOS" or "rOS," Apple's operating system was first developed roughly seven years ago. Within the firm, Apple recently began referring to the software as "xrOS." Instead of using the more generic label "reality," Apple may be able to claim the emerging mixed-reality industry with the new brand.
A covert shell corporation by the name of Deep Dive LLC submitted trademark applications for the name "xrOS" around the same time as the name change and is currently attempting to do the same in the US. If Apple is responsible for the filings, it may consider using "xrOS" as its official product name.
A corporation's usage of the term "xrOS" would not be exclusive to Apple. By strange coincidence, Meta was working on a mixed-reality operating system with a staff of roughly 300 engineers. The most recent trademark applications, however, seem to be something other than the work of that business.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has expressed his interest in augmented reality over the past few years. The company has developed a framework called ARKit that enables iPhones and iPads to run AR applications.
Its first product in the market is anticipated to be significantly more expensive than current mainstream competitors and be equipped with many external cameras to handle the AR components and ultra-high-resolution VR screens. Additionally, it will be able to monitor hands and use a CPU based on Apple's M2 chip, which is present in the organization's most recent Macs.
Apple gave its board of directors a preview of the device earlier this year, hinting that development was moving forward.
