These realityOS trademarks hint at an imminent Apple AR/VR headset launch
A possible WWDC 2022 reveal
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Amidst the growing list of leaks surrounding the rumoredApple AR/VR headset, we’ve heard mentions of a realityOS platform that will supposedly provide the software foundations for the device – and now trademark filings are popping up that register that very name.
As spotted byParker Ortolani, a consumer product manager at the Verge, Polygon, and the Vox Media Podcast network, there are now two US trademarks for the “realityOS” name, held by a company called Realityo Systems LLC. These are the only two trademarks held by that company, and there’s no information about it online.
The filings were made in December 2021, and reference the “design and development of computer hardware, software, peripherals, and computer and video games” – and there’s also a specific mention of “wearable computer hardware”.
It cannot be a coincidence that the “realityOS” trademark owned by a company that seemingly doesn’t exist and is specifically for “wearable computer hardware” is being filed around the world on June 8, 2022 https://t.co/myoRbOvgJa + https://t.co/AH97r95EMn pic.twitter.com/uvsiZCj2rRMay 29, 2022
Board approval
Remember that we’vealready seen referencesto realityOS inApple’s software, and the deadline for an international filing for the trademarks is June 8, 2022 – that’s just two days after we’ll see Apple CEOTim Cook’s main keynote at theWWDC 2022event.
Add in that Apple has form when it comes to transferring trademarks over from shell companies just a few days after keynote announcements, and that the United States Patent and Trademark Office notes that the filings are for an unreleased product, and you’ve got some very strong hints that Apple’s AR/VR device could be about to launch.
Only a few days ago,we heard thatthe headset and its realityOS software had been shown off to the Apple board, making a launch in June even more likely. Hardware announcements atWWDCare rare, but they’re not completely unheard of.
Analysis: what we know so far (we think)
Rumors around an Apple headset that combines virtual reality (enclosed digital worlds) and augmented reality (the digital and real world combined) – also referred to as mixed reality – have been swirling for years at this point. One of the first big hints we had was Apple boss Tim Cookenthusing about the potentialof augmented reality in 2018.
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We think the mixed reality headset could be coming alongside a more lightweight pair ofApple Glassesthat focus primarily on AR. More evidence for these two devices existing came in December of last year, when Applemade a major hirein the field of augmented reality public relations.
If the AR/VR headset is the first product to make an appearance, it’s likely to comewith a high cost attached: perhaps higher than $2,000 (that’s about £1,585 / AU$2,795). High-end specs including4Kmicro-OLEDdisplays and powerful Apple-made processors have been mooted,as well as eye-tracking capabilities.
At this stage it would be a real surprise if there wasn’t a mixed reality headset on the way from Apple – but the question is, when are we going to see it? Therehave been reportsof delays until 2023, but given the new information we’ve got about trademarks, we’d recommend bracing yourselves for a major announcement at WWDC 2022 in June.
Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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