Well now this is an interesting find. Seems like we’ll get announcement sooner rather than later if references are popping up in the wild.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Devices Preview App for Windows Includes References to 'Reality OS' and 'xrOS'
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
With its likely limited battery life I don't think it can be a laptop/desktop replacement. The interesting thing might be the way the headset interacts with Apple's current devices adding functionality to the iPhone, iPad, Mac's and possibly even the watch.
Honestly, I'll probably buy one. BUT... probably like the second or third generation. First-gen apple products are usually mediocre and It'll take me a while to save up for one lol.
A short time ago, preview versions of Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Devices apps for Windows were discovered in the Microsoft Store, and it turns out one of those apps is hiding references to Apple's upcoming mixed-reality headset operating system.
The Apple Devices app is intended to allow users to manage various Apple devices on Windows machines, functionality that was traditionally handled in iTunes but which has migrated to Finder on macOS. Windows users continue to use iTunes to manage Apple devices if needed, but with Apple working on standalone apps like Apple Music for Windows, it appears iTunes for Windows is nearing the end of its life and a replacement for device management functions is needed.
Upon investigating the new Apple Devices Preview app for Windows, Twitter user @aaronp613 discovered references to both "Reality OS" and "xrOS," two names that have appeared in repeated rumors as being in reference to Apple's upcoming mixed-reality headset.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had reported for quite some time that Apple was planning to call its headset platform "realityOS" or "rOS," but last month he revealed that Apple has updated its plans and will call the platform "xrOS". The name refers to "extended reality" to encompass both virtual reality and augmented reality experiences.
Over the weekend, Gurman reported that while Apple had been aiming to introduce the headset this month, the company is now planning for an introduction around its traditional spring media event time. A more complete introduction for developers will then come at WWDC in June ahead of the actual product launch later in the year.
With that introduction time frame rapidly approaching, it's no surprise that Apple is preparing its other apps and platforms to integrate with the headset and xrOS, but the references in the new Apple Devices Preview app for Windows are likely an accidental slip-up by Apple.
Article Link: Apple Devices Preview App for Windows Includes References to 'Reality OS' and 'xrOS'
there will be a day i no longer have to see that concept rendering.
I’m not sure how interested I am in AR/VR - what I do know is that Oculus and the other players have never interested me in the slightest. What I also know is Apple will do it far better than anyone else and as soon as this thing is released, the others will feel boring and dated in comparison and Zuckerberg will be quietly saying “s**t, why didn’t I think of that?”
What I also also know is that:
I had no interest in the original iPhone because of how bad all other touchscreens of the era were. I assumed the iPhone would have the same inaccurate touch screens that required you to push hard in order for them to respond. Then I used one. I bought one less than a week later.
I know that Steve Jobs and his influence are long gone, but if I know Apple, they have some tricks up their sleeve. There’s going to be something about it that’s going to make people say “I have to have this.”
This AR/VR headset could potentially create the biggest cultural shift we’ve seen since the iPhone in 2007.
Time will tell.
What I also also know is that:
I had no interest in the original iPhone because of how bad all other touchscreens of the era were. I assumed the iPhone would have the same inaccurate touch screens that required you to push hard in order for them to respond. Then I used one. I bought one less than a week later.
I know that Steve Jobs and his influence are long gone, but if I know Apple, they have some tricks up their sleeve. There’s going to be something about it that’s going to make people say “I have to have this.”
This AR/VR headset could potentially create the biggest cultural shift we’ve seen since the iPhone in 2007.
Time will tell.
Have to say, the OTHER Apple rumors site has a much better fantastical render than the stupid Simpsons-esque one we’ve been subjected to for years now.
I’d paste a screen snap here but not sure of the MR policy.
It still looks like the same absurd Apple Watch bands attached to a scuba mask, but at least it has a real world quality to it.
I’d paste a screen snap here but not sure of the MR policy.
It still looks like the same absurd Apple Watch bands attached to a scuba mask, but at least it has a real world quality to it.
That depends on which level of MacRumors heck you find yourself in the afterlife:
Level 1. What would Steve Jobs do discussions
Level 2. Apple can’t innovate discussions
Level 3. Tim Cook is a bean counter discussions
Level 4. Touch ID vs Face ID discussions
Level 5. Monitor resolution/OLED/mini-LED discussions
Level 6. What good is an iPad when you have a phone and a MacBook discussions
Level 7. An endless keynote presentation repeating the same slide of purported Apple AR headset.
Must be a dormant volcano..."RealityOS" is much better. Upgrade public beta Reality 1.0 to 1.2...
The excitement is volcanic.
Most recessions can’t be identified until they are well underway and by then already rotating out of them.
Looking to see the new product from Apple. Expecting for it to be launched soon.
I’ve been interested in this only slightly more than I’ve ever cared about the Apple Car (which, in that case, is negative interest).
Lolol At least it’s “for sure” according to the headline of the article from AppleInCider by Tyler Hayes that you just quoted verbatim as an original thought. ie “Apple's AR & VR headset will launch into a poorly defined market.” 🙄 WTH
It’s Mount Vesuvius and doubters like you are the PompeiansMust be a dormant volcano...
Give me a break with this. Honestly I can’t believe people are actually believing this. There is no Apple AR/VR .. this rumour has been around since 2015 , it’s nearly 10 years later and it’s always the same at the start of every year , in spring they will show it off , come spring no news then the stories start it’s delayed etc. and the screen shot of code just looks like a bunch of random made up code edited, take an actual pic of full code anyone can highlight code like that or joint down words and numbers and say it’s code. You lot will be going off your heads come spring when there is no announcement and your start with the whole apple is out of touch , they don’t care about products , they are longer innovating anymore .. until we have actual conference it’s just made up fake news ( rumours , lies , stories) whatever jibberish you want to call it it’s just fake propaganda
A pretty common reaction. There are still a lot of hurdles to overcome before it's a technology that has mass appeal as there are still major drawbacks on all fronts (including cost). The AR uses could eventually change life for persons with a variety of disabilities; those applications are almost too numerous to count. As for VR; it really depends on if you are an avid gamer or not, and what kinds of games you enjoy even if you fit the gamer profile. Early HMDs were both low in resolution and low in FOV, causing a sense of unreality for many users (including myself). Looking at a scene that is clearly much smaller, and much blurrier, than human vision, even with the motion aspects, just didn't provide the experience people expected. Early controllers also were not great. Newer equipment has mostly conquered all of these issues (for a price). All we need now is more powerful GPUs to handle them (I can bring my 4090 to it's knees with incredible ease, as I'm running titles at over 4k PER EYE on a Pimax 8k-x). But while low to mid-range VR still has significant limitations, high-end VR is already breathtakingly good, and it's still early days. Come back to it in another 2 or 3 years, and when you do try a *really good* setup.
It makes a lot of sense for Apple to make sure it is compatible with the various Windows VR standards (SteamVR, OpenXR, etc.) It's in a price-range that suggest it should be competing with the big-guns like Pimax and Varjo (two of the companies making high ppi + high FOV equipment). Those brands have a lot of configuration issues and 'tweaking' that you have to do to make things work well. A company that can overcome those issues and release a high resolution and high FOV HMD that actually works well out of the box might be able to dominate the entire high end VR/AR market. But that means Windows compatibility.
Last edited:
True instead of affordable healthcare we just give disabled people expensive headsets that could be uncomfortable for their physical condition and give them software bugs to live with. Life changing.
It's just going to be fascinating. Apple has been trying to prep the way for this for many years now, and even just the "how" in the reveal of the product will be worth tuning in. I don't think I'm in the market for the 1st gen if the rumored prices are about right, but I'll be paying close attention, for sure. (money is tight and since I like VR for games, I think the PSVR2 is going to be a much better value for a couple years)
Think someone woke up on the wrong side of the VR bed this morning.
A lot of posted naysaying comments about AR will not be aging very well. Along with all the ones about iPod, iPhone, iPad, AirPods, etc.
I work with (and grew up surrounded by) persons with disabilities due to having family members involved in a variety of specialized education institutions geared toward the multi-handicapped. I agree we should have affordable healthcare and would prefer to see this as a socialized universal healthcare, but it will take a miracle to make that a reality here in the US, where our society values a person's worth almost solely on their ability to accumulate little green pieces of paper. But there are a LOT of disabilities that can't be fixed medically (or even if they can be, they won't be, unless you are in the 1% or even the .1%, or directly a member of the kleptocracy.)
But let's take three examples:
1) Aging low-light vision issues. This happens to effectively 100% of the human population that gets old enough. A good AR system would allow persons to continue enjoying a quality of life that would be otherwise denied to them (driving, sports, etc.)
2) Dementia. It's a lucky person who doesn't eventually suffer a variety of forms of cognitive decline when they get elderly (and in some cases much sooner). A good AR device could assist these persons in an array of tasks.
3) Dyslexic persons (this is a class of individual I work with a lot). Dyslexia is by no means is an indication of disability (it's only a "disability" due to our rigidly-designed societies and education systems that don't properly take individual differences into account.) In fact, we are slowly coming to understand that Dyslexic (as well as ADD/ADHD persons) may be our most innovative portion of humanity. But it's still a real problem in our society not to be able to read or write well. Imagine, instead of having to point a clunky tablet or phone at the page of a book, or a letter, or whatever, to simply be able to have your 'glasses' read it to you, or highlight words according to your eye-movement, or... or... or...
I'm sure people could find hundreds or thousands of other example cases where AR could be a great boon. Lots of hurdles still to conquer (size, battery life, cost), but I think we'll see some great things. If we can keep the advertisers from spamming them up.