References to ‘realityOS’ Show Up in App Store Upload Logs

Apple may have accidentally confirmed the existence of realityOS, an operating system for its unannounced AR/VR headset.

Apple has been long rumored to have an interest in both virtual and augmented reality, and the expectation is that the company will launch a VR/AR headset next year, with AR-focused Apple Glasses following at some point afterwards.

A whole new form factor requires a tweaked operating system, and it looks like that’s what Apple will be providing, with iOS developer Rens Verhoeven spotting a reference to “realityOS” in App Store upload logs.

The tweet was accompanied by a screenshot from the logs that included “com.apple.platform.realityos” alongside a similar reference for an existing platform, “com.apple.platform.watchos.”

And while quote-tweeting a callout of the GitHub repo find by Nicolás Álvarez, developer Steve Troughton-Smith tweeted the following:

The existence of such an OS was first reported by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman as rOS in 2017, and is reportedly known internally as “Oak” at Apple. The “OS” nomenclature would be logical, given the names of Apple’s iOS, macOS, iPadOS, tvOS and watchOS operating systems.

Apple’s development of AR/VR headsets has been rumored for years. Apple purchased VR company VRvana in 2017, suggesting it was pursuing the technology, and 2019 reports came out claiming that a mixed AR/VR headset would come in 2022, with AR glasses arriving by 2023.

However, the most recent rumours suggest that the headset will be delayed until 2023 due to development issues like overheating. They’ll reportedly offer computing power on par with an M1 Mac and could be standalone without the need to tether, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

P.S. - Like our news? Support the site with a coffee/beer. Or shop with our Amazon link. We use affiliate links when possible--thank you for supporting independent media.