Apple’s mixed-reality headset could be called the “Reality Pro”: What to expect and other details – Times of India

If there is one Apple product that everyone has been waiting for even more than the new pill-shaped iPhone and the new Mac Pro, it is the long-rumoured mixed-reality headset, which has been doing the rounds of the internet for a while now. There might be some time before the headset becomes a reality, but Apple already reportedly has a name for its next big product.
As discovered by Bloomberg, trademark filings suggest Apple plans to go ahead with the “Reality” branding for its upcoming mixed-reality headset. Three trademarks for “Reality One,” “Reality Pro“, and “Reality Processor” have been filed with the US Trademark and Patent Office. The applications for three trademarks have also been filed in the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and Uruguay.
This would not be the first time the “Reality” branding has been associated with Apple’s much-awaited mixed-reality headset. Earlier this year, the name “realityOS,” referring to the headset’s operating system, appeared in a code snippet and a trademark filing. Further, back in 2019, Apple created a new framework for developers, “RealityKit,” for the creation of augmented reality experiences.
The three trademarks have been filed on behalf of Immersive Health Solutions LLC, an alleged shell company of Apple, incorporated in February this year. Interestingly, the firm has been registered by another company, The Corporation Trust Co., the same firm that filed the trademark for realityOS.
Apple’s mixed reality ecosystem could be a ‘reality’ soon
If one were to speculate, the “Reality Processor,” could be the name for the chip powering the headset. Meanwhile, “Reality One” and “Reality Pro” seem to be names reserved for the headset. With multiple names being trademarked, Apple could release a range of mixed-reality headsets in the future, as once rumoured.
The “Reality Processor,” or the chip powering the headset, is rumoured to be a customised M2 chip aided by a coprocessor to handle AR/VR processing.
The Cupertino giant has been rumoured to be working on multiple AR/VR headsets – one being a high-end headset, codenamed N301, expected to be the first headset to make it to the market. Meanwhile, two other pairs of headsets have been under development, internally referred to as N602 and N421; however, these two are not expected to debut for the next few coming years.
The “Pro” and “One” has been associated with Apple products for a long time. While the “Pro” moniker has been reserved for the high-end variants of the company’s products, such as iPhone 12 Pro, MacBook Pro and AirPods Pro, the “One” has been used in Apple’s services bundle, the Apple One.
The Mandalorian director, Jon Favreau, along with other big Hollywood names, has been reportedly roped in by Apple to create AR/VR content for the headset. Favreau’s world of dinosaurs, the Prehistoric World, could be one of the first limited series to arrive on the headset.
Apple’s first mixed-reality will not come cheap as rumours are rife that it may cost as much as $3,000 (~Rs 2,40,100). The headset may feature a pair of 4K OLED displays, 15 cameras among other sensors enabling support for eye tracking and hand gestures. If rumours are to be believed, we might not see the headset until next year.