Bloomberg: Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headset will run on ‘xrOS’ platform

Zac Hall | Dec 1 2022 - 1:07 pm PT

Apple is expected to unveil its mixed reality handset project as soon as spring. Now Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has settled on a name for the operating system that will power the product: xrOS.

“Internally, the company recently changed the name of the operating system to ‘xrOS’ from rrealityOS,’ said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is still under wraps,” Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg.

According to Gurman, the XR in xrOS stands for extended reality. That fits with Apple’s longview of what the platform could become. Apple is expected to release a pricey virtual reality headset with premium hardware to start. Meta currently offers its own higher-end headset with the Meta Quest Pro.

Future mixed reality products are expected to include augmented reality glasses and possibly contact lenses when the technology is ready.

Gurman adds that heads of engineering for Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Notes, and Apple News are involved on the project. This suggests that Apple is bringing in core app teams to complete the headset experience before it debuts.

As for the xrOS name, the report points to a shell company called Deep Dive LLC that is trademarking the operating system name around the world. The shell company links back to another shell company, but it’s likely that Apple is behind it. Finally, Gurman reminds everyone that the final platform name could still be realityOS or another name despite the xrOS label being used internally.

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