- Kyle Chua
“Reality One” Among Names Trademarked by Apple for Its AR/VR Headset
Apple has started the trademarking process for its long-rumoured mixed-reality headsets as the company prepares to venture into a new product segment soon.
According to Bloomberg, who first spotted the trademark applications, the Cupertino tech giant is considering names like "Reality One," "Reality Pro" and "Reality Processor". The applications were filed in the U.S., the EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia, among others.
Going by the names in the application, Apple might be using "Reality" as the brand of its soon-to-be-revealed line of mixed reality products that could debut with two models: the "Reality One" and the "Reality Pro". The "Reality One" will likely be the standard model and the company's first in the segment, which explains the "One" in its name. The "Reality Pro", on the other hand, could be a high-end variant with more advanced specs, gearing more towards early adopters and tech enthusiasts than mass-market consumers.
Meanwhile, the "Reality Processor" could be Apple's new custom silicon that'll be powering the two devices. The chip is expected to be as capable as the M2 chip from this year's refresh of the MacBook Air. It'll likely also run "realityOS" out of the box, which probably is the company's operating system for its headsets.
Apple has long expressed its interest in the emerging technology of mixed-reality, going as far as to say it’ll one day be as important as the iPhone. But the company has been almost completely tightlipped about what it has in the works. Apart from the rumours, no one has any details about the headsets.
As to when they'll come out, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims they could be revealed as early as January 2023. This means they likely won’t make an appearance at the company’s forthcoming September 2022 launch event, though this hasn’t been confirmed. Kuo adds that Apple is expecting to ship up to a million and a half units in 2023 at prices that could reach US$2,000.
Apple’s headsets could feature 8K displays, eye-tracking and external cameras and proprietary processors.
Apple has started the trademarking process for its long-rumoured mixed-reality headsets as the company prepares to venture into a new product segment soon.
Among the names being considered include "Reality One," "Reality Pro" and "Reality Processor".
The iPhone maker is rumoured to be releasing its first headset in 2023.