Apple Inc. is accelerating the development of a mixed-reality headset, the company’s first significant new product category since the Apple Watch, and has renamed the accompanying software in the latest indication of an impending launch.
According to sources familiar with the topic, the business intends to release the headgear as early as next year, complete with a dedicated operating system and app store for third-party apps. According to the insiders who wanted not to be named since the project is still under wraps, the corporation recently changed the name of the operating system from “realityOS” to “xrOS.”
The new software title alludes to the headset’s mixed-reality capabilities. The acronym “XR” refers to extended reality, which includes both augmented and virtual reality. Augmented reality superimposes images and virtual information on top of the actual environment, while virtual reality provides an immersive experience for gaming and viewing videos.
Apple’s foray into the market pits it against Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which is counting on the metaverse partly to reduce its dependency on Apple products. The move is also part of Apple’s ongoing pursuit of the “next great thing.” With the launching of the Apple Watch in 2015, the firm transformed its wearables business into a sector that currently accounts for more than 10% of its revenue, generating $41.2 billion in the previous fiscal year.
Apple’s Cupertino, California-based spokesman refused to comment on the company’s headgear intentions.
