Apple has registered a wordmark for “xrOS” in New Zealand (via a shell company), just ahead of the expected debut of its Worldwide Developers Conference. As noted by MacRumors, this marks the first time the Cupertino company has indirectly revealed both the name of the operating system for its upcoming headset and the official font and styling that accompanies it.
Spotted by Parker Ortolani, the xrOS wordmark registered with the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office indicates that Apple will use its San Fransisco typeface in xrOS marketing, just as it does for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
🚨 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
“xrOS” stands for “extended reality.” The name was previously confirmed by internal Apple sources last year via Bloomberg. Apple has reportedly been trademarking xrOS in several countries through a shell company.
The headset software was internally called “Reality OS” or “rOS” when it was in development. However, with a launch approaching, the company decided to update the public name to the less generic “xrOS” name.
xrOS will have an iOS-like interface that will feel immediately familiar to Apple users as it will resemble the look of the iPhone and iPad. There will be a Home screen with app icons that can be rearranged, as well as customizable widgets.
Apple’s headset is expected to be called either the “Reality Pro” or “Reality One.” The new headset is expected to feature dual 4K micro OLED displays from Sony, for an 8K total resolution. More than a dozen cameras will be used for mapping the area around the user, interpreting gestures, reading facial expressions, and more.
The headset is said to boast a curved visor manufactured from aluminum, glass, and carbon fiber, hopefully resulting in a lighter-weight device. The battery powering the headset is said to be worn at the waist to prevent the headset from being too heavy.
Apple is reportedly concentrating on gaming, wellness, and collaboration apps for the device. Apple-designed apps such as Safari, Calendar, Contacts, Home, Photos, Music, Reminders, Files, Messages, Notes, and other built-in apps will be optimized for the headset. The apps are reportedly being adapted from iPad apps of the same names, and the built-in apps will be optimized for the headset and users will be able to access existing App Store content via a 3D interface.
Apple is expected to reveal the headset to the public during its WWDC keynote event on Monday, June 5.
