Apple’s mixed reality headset is supposed to launch early next year, with sales to start a few months after the early January event. That’s what rumors say, as Apple hasn’t confirmed anything. But Apple’s names for the AR/VR headsets of the future might have leaked: Reality One and Reality Pro.
These reality-related names appeared in newly discovered trademark documentation in various countries. These moves indicate that the AR/VR headset’s launch is getting closer.
As discovered by Bloomberg, the trademark applications can’t be easily linked to Apple. That’s because Apple didn’t make the filings on its own, a practice the company used in the past.
Instead, Apple relied on shell corporations and “big-name and boutique law firms” in various countries that Apple has previously worked with. Apple is going for “Reality One,” “Reality Pro,” and “Reality Processor” with this new round of trademarks. Previously, trademark filings for “realityOS” emerged, with similar ties to Apple.
Furthermore, Apple’s partners filed applications for these product names in the US, EU, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, and Uruguay. This indicates the massive scope of the action, reinforcing the idea that Apple is the true beneficiary.
The move is also very on-brand for Apple, which is very secretive about unreleased products. Apple will not talk about its AR/VR headset until it’s ready to announce them. As such, the commercial names of these devices have to stay secret.
Apple has used the same trademark strategy for years as it looked to protect product names for unreleased devices. Apple usually registers trademarks for upcoming products months or years ahead of launch. That’s a lesson learned after the iPhone’s launch in 2007, a product name that Cisco owned.
As for the names themselves, they indicate Apple might have multiple Reality devices in development. Reality One could be the name of the first model. Reality Pro could be what Apple calls a more sophisticated variant.
The first-gen AR/VR headset will be more sophisticated and expensive than anything available from other companies. Bloomberg reiterates older claims that the headset would run on an M2 processor with 16GB of RAM. The System-on-Chip might also come with additional technology for handling AR and VR graphics. That’s where the Reality Processor name would fit.
One interesting detail from the Reality trademark filings concerns the applicant’s name. Immersive Health Solutions LLC is the shell company behind the new trademarks. This suggests the AR/VR headset might have some sort of health-related features. But that’s just speculation at this time.
Apple’s iPhone 14 event will take place on September 7th. It’ll be interesting to see whether Apple will provide any teaser for the future Reality devices during the press conference.
More Apple coverage: For more Apple news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
