An Apple-linked company filed to trademark ‘Reality One’, ‘Reality Pro’, and ‘Reality Processor’, Bloomberg reports.

The filings come from a company called ‘Immersive Health Solutions LLC’, a company with no public presence which Bloomberg reports is linked to Apple. Apple has previously used shell companies to file trademarks ahead of launches, including macOS version names and in May realityOS, the long rumored operating system for the headset first reported by Bloomberg all the way back in 2017.

Last year Bloomberg, The Information, and supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released reports claiming Apple is preparing to release a premium headset for VR and AR with high resolution color passthrough. Kuo claimed this headset will weigh significantly less than existing headsets ike Quest 2 and feature dual 4K OLED microdisplays.

In May The Information released an in-depth report on the project’s troubled history. The report described the headset using three chips, with the primary processor being based on the M2 chip used in the latest MacBooks. That processor is said to be paired with a dedicated image signal processor (ISP) chip and a third chip which acts as a “fast conduit” between them. These trademark filings suggests a combination of these chips could be branded Reality Processor.

But what about the other two trademarks? Both Bloomberg and The Information report Apple’s headset is set to be priced north of $2000. Apple may be debating whether to brand the product as Reality One or Reality Pro. Pro would set expectations for a cheaper model in future to match Apple’s other product lines – a strategy Kuo claims the company plans for 2025.

Kuo predicts Apple will host a media event in January, deliver development kits 2-4 weeks later, and launch pre-orders in the second quarter of 2023 for a release before WWDC 2023. WWDC is Apple’s yearly software conference, almost always held in June.

David Heaney

Writes about VR & AR technology news & industry trends.

Usually on VR Download.