Apple's work on realityOS is “finishing” as focus shifts to a suite of AR/VR apps ahead of headset launchMon, Nov 14, 2022 6:19 AM PST Hartley Charlton According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the headset's operating system is being shut down and the number of new employees associated with the device is on the rise ahead of next year's launch.
Concept visualization based on alleged information leak Jan Zelbo
The headset itself is rumored to be running “rOS” or “realityOS” codenamed “Oak”. Apple has been rumored to be working on realOS since 2017, but the existence of the operating system was finally confirmed earlier this year when references to it were found in App Store download logs and Apple's open source code.
In its In a recent post in the “Power On” newsletter, Gurman said that realityOS “will include mixed reality versions of core Apple apps like Messages, FaceTime and Maps.” The first version of the operating system is reported to be “internally finalized and should be ready for new hardware next year.” Gurman has previously said that Apple's mixed reality headset will focus on gaming, media consumption and communication. He believes that Memojis and SharePlay can play a key role in this experience.
Gurman added that the job listings indicate that Apple is now ramping up its device-related recruitment. The company is looking for a software vendor with experience in visual effects and game asset pipelines to create content for AR and VR environments, developers who can “create tools and frameworks to enable connected experiences in a mixed reality 3D world”, and engineers who can work on development tools, including App Intent, which allow applications to work with features such as Siri and shortcuts. The job listings also indicate that Apple plans to create a headset video service with 3D content that can be played in virtual reality.
In addition to the wave of new hires, Apple has reportedly also expanded the management team overseeing the development of the headset, bringing in a former senior self-driving car project leader and one of the company's top software development managers. The nature of the new positions suggests a range of health and productivity apps could be coming to the headset.
DigiTimes believes Apple's headset will begin mass production next March, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested it might be presented to the public in January.
Related Review: Apple GlassesTags: bloomberg.com, Mark GurmanRelated Forum: Apple Glasses, AR and VR[ 52 Comments ]
