The New Zealand Intellectual Property Office has listed a new trademark filed by Apple.
The company has registered a ‘wordmark’ for “xrOS,” which is likely the name of the operating system for its upcoming MR (mixed reality) headset.
The wordmark was spotted by Parker Ortolani, via MacRumors, and was filed by an Apple shell company called Deep Dive LLC, according to Ortolani.
🚨 holy shit! Apple trademarked (via a shell corp) an "xrOS" word mark in SF Pro in New Zealand just last week pic.twitter.com/Ow274yyuBU
— Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) May 16, 2023
Bloomberg‘s reliable Mark Gurman has also reported in the past that Apple’s mixed reality headset will run on xrOS, and not ‘realityOS,’ according to preceding leaks.
According to Gurman, the software’s name is a nod to the headset’s capabilities. The ‘xr’ in ‘xrOS’ stands for extended reality, which means that the headset would have both augmented and virtual reality features, making it a Mixed Reality headset.
Further, as spotted in the wordmark, Apple will use the same font, San Francisco typeface, in its xrOS marketing. Apple uses the same font for macOS, iOS, watchOS and tvOS.
xrOS will reportedly look and feel like you’re using an iOS or iPadOS device, providing a familiar UI for iPhone and iPad users, with customizable widgets and a dedicated home screen.
Reports have also suggested that the company is readying an “arsenal” of applications for the MR headset in an effort to capture a major market share of the AR/VR headset market. The company is making apps for fitness and gaming, alongside collaboration tools. Additionally, the tech giant is looking to create new versions of Apple’s existing iPad features for the headset and services for watching sports on the MR headset.
The MR headset would have optimized versions of Safari, Calendars, Contacts, Files, Home Control, Mail, Maps, Messaging, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Music, News, Stock and the Weather app. Users would also be able to stream Apple TV directly on the MR headset, in addition to being able to FaceTime others.
From what we know so far, the MR headset would be able to run multiple applications simultaneously, and an Apple Watch-like crown on the side would allow users to switch between AR and VR environments.
It is reported to cost roughly $3,000 USD (about $4,000 CAD).
Source: New Zealand Intellectual Property Office Via: @ParkerOrtolani, MacRumors
