Apple Headed Into the Metaverse, Introducing the VR Headset: Presentation

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Maybe the metaverse is not dead after all.

Apple is usually at the forefront of technology, but has yet to publicly venture into the world of mixed reality and the metaverse, even though other major tech players like Meta have already created their own variations of VR headsets.

Still, rumors have been circulating for months that Apple is working on something about the possibility (or rather, the inevitability) of what its debut foray into the metaverse will look like.

Now, that question could be answered. Based on the trademarked patents, it appears that Apple has filed for its first mixed reality operating system, which will be called xrOS.

The trademark was first noticed by a Twitter user who provided screenshots of the filing made with the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office.

holy shit! Apple registered (via a shell corporation) an “xrOS” wordmark in SF Pro in New Zealand last week pic.twitter.com/Ow274yyuBU

— Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) May 16, 2023

“Shit! Apple registered (via shell corporation) an “xrOS” wordmark in SF Pro in New Zealand last week,” he wrote.

In the screenshot, the image appears to follow the same format as Apple’s iOS operating system, from the font to the capitalized “OS” at the end.

Bloomberg initially reported in December that Apple was registering xrOS, citing “people with knowledge of the matter” and noting that the operating system would work with virtual and augmented realities. At the time, a Cupertino, California-based Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the rumor.

Palmer Luckey, who co-founded Meta’s Oculus virtual reality equipment, has alleged that he tested Apple’s virtual reality equipment, calling it “very good”, although neither Apple nor Meta confirmed the test.

Apple headphones are very good.

— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) May 14, 2023

Apple’s renowned annual world developer conference it is scheduled to start on June 5 and run until June 9, where xrOS is expected to be announced.