Apple's much anticipated mixed reality hardware finally has a name! According to a fresh report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company seems to have filed for trademarks for several names surrounding the "Reality" branding.
Apple seems to have filed trademark applications for the names "Reality One," "Reality Pro" and "Reality Processor," in US, EU, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and Uruguay. Of course, as per the company's standard operating procedure, it hasn't filed the applications itself. Apple seems to be using law firms as proxy for these applications.
Apple's AR/VR announcement is inching closer
Apple's mixed reality hardware and platform has been said to be in the making for a while now. It's expected to be a mix of virtual and augmented reality. There have been a ton of Apple VR rumors giving us brief glimpses at the possibilities of Apple's AR/VR project.
There's some chance that the headset could be announced, if not launched, at the upcoming iPhone event on September 7. Apple has teased the event with an AR experience, and while Apple loves its share of AR, this could also be a sign pointing to a reveal at the event.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously said that Apple's game-changing mixed reality headset is set to come out in January 2023. This would line up with the upcoming event, making it a great time for Apple to make the first reveal and announce a January 2023 availability window.
Apple is gunning for the industry leader here — Meta. Meta leads the space with its Oculus lineup of VR headsets. Apple's headset is said to be a high-end product with high-fidelity displays powered by Apple silicon. As such, it's likely to carry a hefty price tag. While Meta's headsets are reasonably priced, Apple could open up a bigger segment with its high-end headset, and Meta will likely have to compete.
In the meantime, Apple is pretty much confirmed to announce an upgrade to its best iPhones at the upcoming event. If the rumors are correct, this "Reality" headset could be the "One more thing" for this event.
