Trademark for 'realityOS' points to VR, AR at WWDC

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited May 2022
A trademark for "realityOS" has been discovered, a filing that could mean WWDC 2022 will see the launch of Apple's dedicated VR and AR platform.

Renders of Apple Glass and a mixed-reality headset.
Renders of Apple Glass and a mixed-reality headset.


Apple has been rumored to be working on a VR or AR headset for quite some time, and that hardware needs to run its own operating system. In a patent filing uncovered on Sunday, it seems that the software-side of the device is becoming more real.

Trademark filings for "realityOS were uncovered on Twitter by Parker Ortolani, covering "wearable computer hardware" and a multitude of other areas of computing. While it is possible for anyone to petition for a trademark, there are a number of indicators that point to it being in relation to Apple.

For a start, the filing dates for are suspiciously close to WWDC, with one mentioning a "Foreign Filing Date" for June 8, a deadline that occurs two days after the developer conference's keynote. Ortolani notes that Apple tends to file trademarks for products announced at a WWDC roughly a day or two after the keynote itself, making it "one helluva coincidence."

The pair of filings were also made on December 8, 2021, two months before direct references to "realityOS" surfaced in Apple's code.

The listings are both registered by "Realityo Systems LLC," which incorporated in the state of Delaware on December 3, 2021 via the Corporation Trust Company, which provides "registered agent services." Searches bring up no information about the company's products, aside from its registration and trademark filing.

Apple's culture of secrecy extends to making great efforts to hide launches from being discovered, and that includes related trademarks. The company habitually uses shell companies to hide its registrations, and it seems to be using the same playbook here.

Details of a dedicated operating system for the headset date back to 2017, with a report claiming Apple's headset would have its own display and processor, as well as a new operating system. At the time, that software was called "rOS."

With claims Apple's mixed-reality headset reached an "advanced" stage of development" in May, the trademark filing is one more indicator that it could finally see an introduction soon.

While there is a chance of Apple using WWDC to introduce the headset to developers, in a bid to encourage app development before a release to the public, this isn't Apple's only AR project. ARKit has been around for a few years, providing a way for augmented reality to work on an iPhone or iPad.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    Reading other articles on the topic of this headset, it seems like the first hardware launch is going to be quickly obsoleted by a much better second or third generation. I get a feeling this device release timeline will be very similar to the Apple Watch: it’s going to look kind of good when they reach their 4th iteration, and by the time we see number 6, it easily wipes out the competitors.
    watto_cobradesignr
  • Reply 2 of 9
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 3,055member
    Reading other articles on the topic of this headset, it seems like the first hardware launch is going to be quickly obsoleted by a much better second or third generation. I get a feeling this device release timeline will be very similar to the Apple Watch: it’s going to look kind of good when they reach their 4th iteration, and by the time we see number 6, it easily wipes out the competitors.
    That is Apple’s pattern. It’s why I waited to the AW6 and the iPhone 5 before jumping in. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 9
    genovellegenovelle Posts: 1,481member
    DAalseth said:
    Reading other articles on the topic of this headset, it seems like the first hardware launch is going to be quickly obsoleted by a much better second or third generation. I get a feeling this device release timeline will be very similar to the Apple Watch: it’s going to look kind of good when they reach their 4th iteration, and by the time we see number 6, it easily wipes out the competitors.
    That is Apple’s pattern. It’s why I waited to the AW6 and the iPhone 5 before jumping in. 
    I joined the iphone ranks the first year and there was literally nothing remotely competitive for 3 years. 
    asdasdwatto_cobradanox
  • Reply 4 of 9
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,427member
    genovelle said:
    DAalseth said:
    Reading other articles on the topic of this headset, it seems like the first hardware launch is going to be quickly obsoleted by a much better second or third generation. I get a feeling this device release timeline will be very similar to the Apple Watch: it’s going to look kind of good when they reach their 4th iteration, and by the time we see number 6, it easily wipes out the competitors.
    That is Apple’s pattern. It’s why I waited to the AW6 and the iPhone 5 before jumping in. 
    I joined the iphone ranks the first year and there was literally nothing remotely competitive for 3 years. 

    The so-called competition (the old guard) dithered for three years, that’s how disruptive the iPhone was.
    edited May 2022
  • Reply 5 of 9
    byronlbyronl Posts: 377member
    about damn time
  • Reply 6 of 9
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,453member
    Shout out to everyone in these forums claiming this product wasn’t happening. Can’t wait for the 6th!
    Japhey
  • Reply 7 of 9
    byronl said:
    about damn time
    You'd rather that Apple release a half-assed product that isn't ready to blow away the market?  They are the Ernest and Julio Gallo of tech.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,486member
    WWDC release would suggest DevKit release that will come with a "not reflective of final product" type warning. 

    Emotive screen on the front of the device or battery life or something will be missing. 
  • Reply 9 of 9
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,068member
    byronl said:
    about damn time
    You'd rather that Apple release a half-assed product that isn't ready to blow away the market?  They are the Ernest and Julio Gallo of tech.
    I'm willing to bet that they have been working on this product for a long time, for like the last five years or so. Not to say the product will be perfect on launch, most Apple products aren't but version 1 has also been about "public beta testing" so to speak.
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