Apple may have leaked the name of its mixed reality operating system

Apple's launching a new operating system soon, and it's probably going to be called "xrOS."

Apple's xrOS will power the company's upcoming mixed reality headset, likely to be unveiled at Apple WWDC in June.

While the news isn't official yet, the name was all but confirmed by a wordmark registered with the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office (as noticed by Vox Media's product manager Parker Ortolani). Note the capitalized "OS" and the San Francisco typeface used for the wordmark, the same one used for Apple's other operating systems, such as iOS and macOS.

Rhymes with macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. Credit: Apple

Other rumored names for the upcoming OS included realityOS, and rOS. But a Bloomberg report, published in December 2022, said it was likely going to be xrOS, where "xr" stands for "extended reality."

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The new OS will likely power Apple's future mixed reality products, with the first one being a mixed reality headset which will reportedly either be called Reality Pro or Reality One.

Rumors and reports says the headset will be very expensive but also very powerful, with more than 10 cameras (both on the inside and outside), high-res displays, and an Apple M2-level chip inside. Design-wise, the headset will be fairly lightweight, but it will require an external battery pack, ideally worn on the waist and connected to the headset via a cable. And while xrOS itself will resemble Apple's other operating systems, it will be mostly controlled via hand gestures combined with eye tracking.

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Apple's WWDC 2023 event kicks off on June 5. Alongside the new OS and the headset, we'll likely see new MacBooks, and updated versions of all of Apple's other operating systems.