Earlier this year, a handful of developers, including Steve Troughton-Smith, found references to “realityOS,” Apple’s augmented and virtual reality headset operating system. Now, just over a week before the start of WWDC 2022, the name has resurfaced in the trademark registrations apparently linked to the company.
On Friday, Vox Media product manager Parker Ortolani used Twitter to share two U.S. Patent and Trademark Office documents he found registered with a company called Realityo Systems LLC. As Parker and others have pointed out, there is evidence to suggest that Realityo Systems is a shell company created by Apple to darken its tracks.
First, there is the deadline for filing both trademarks on June 8, which falls just two days after the start of WWDC 2022. In addition, as noted by 9to5Mac, Realityo Systems LLC shares the same address as Yosemite Research LLC, the shell company that Apple used to do. secure trademarks for earlier versions of your macOS operating system, including macOS Monterey. More interesting evidence is that in some countries, Realityo Systems filed trademark applications that include a realityOS logo written in Apple San Francisco typeface.
The timing of the presentations suggests that Apple is approaching the day when it will feel comfortable sharing details about its augmented and virtual reality ambitions. However, we would like to warn you not to expect an announcement as soon as next week. In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicts that the company will not make a “full-fledged presentation” on its mixed reality headphones at WWDC. In fact, he says he would “be wary of waiting” for this announcement from the company. Gurman previously reported that Apple was considering delaying the device’s debut until 2023 due to ongoing development issues. However, the company is clearly moving forward with the project.