Trademark filings spotted by Bloomberg suggest that Apple could include “Reality” in the name and branding of its long-rumored mixed reality headset. Three separate filings show trademarks for “Reality One,” “Reality Pro,” and “Reality Processor,” matching the realityOS name that popped up in Apple’s code and a trademark application that may refer to the headset’s operating system.
The applications were not submitted by Apple itself, but by a company called Immersive Health Solutions, LLC. Companies like Apple often use empty company names when applying for a patent or trademark to keep their plans private. But, like Bloomberg points out that Delaware-based Immersive Health Solutions was registered by Corporation Trust Co. – another shell company that also appeared on the realityOS trademark.
In addition to the US, applications have also been made in the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and Uruguay. All three files list “virtual and augmented reality headsets, eyeglasses, spectacles and smartglasses.” It is possible that the trademark “Reality One” refers to the name of the headset itself, while “Reality Pro” indicates an improved version that Apple has planned in the future, in keeping with the same “Pro” name that Apple applies to its more expensive devices. Meanwhile, the name “Reality Processor” may refer to the headset’s processing unit, which is claimed to be an M2 chip.
The applications surfaced just over a week before Apple’s “Far Out” event, but the mixed reality headset is unlikely to make an appearance. The headset is rumored to enable both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences and games, including VR versions of Apple Maps and FaceTime, and possibly even Hollywood movie based experiences. Apple’s board of directors is said to have been allowed to try the headset in May, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts it won’t hit the market until January 2023.