Apple Inc. has been filing for trademarks suggesting earmarking of some potential names for their highly anticipated AR/VR headset. This is the tech giant’s first push in a new product category in recent years.
According to Bloomberg News, applications were filed in the US, UK, Canada, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Saudi Arabia. Law firms locked down names such as Reality Pro, Reality One, and Reality Processor on behalf of Apple as the company has relied on past patterns of not filing itself.
Apple Inc.’s new AR/VR headset is expected to put the company in close competition with Meta Platforms, the leading VR gear makers. Apple’s last launch in the hardware category was the Apple Watch seven years back.
A spokesperson from Apple declined to comment on the trademark filings.
The application for a trademark is not yet approved, and there is no guarantee that future products will carry these names. Still, the clues suggest that Apple is preparing the groundwork for expansion into headsets.
The new trademarks are registered in a shell company called Immersive Health Solutions LLC, registered in February this year as per records with Bloomberg News. Another shell company registered the company in Delaware, Corporation Trust Co. These are typically used for filing trademarks to avoid detection. The RealtyOS trademark was used by Apple using the Delaware firm.
Apple relied on several well-known boutique law firms in all the operating nations for starting the trademark process, starting with Canada in February and other countries in August.
In the US, New Zealand, and Canada, filers used law firms to represent Apple in the past for registering trademarks or other issues. In New Zealand, Apple relied on Simpson Grierson, a law firm for Reality filings, and this firm was also used in filing the Apple Sales New Zealand.
Apple has followed the same process of filing trademark names long before its official launch. This was done to secure the name and avoid risking buying the name from other trademark holders.
Apple did not take this route earlier before its iPhone debut in 2007. The iPhone name had to be taken from Cisco after reaching an agreement.
Reality Headset release date
The company aims to release its first mixed-realty AR/VR headset in 2023. The device has faced issues such as software, camera sensors, and overheating during the development stage.
If Apple has indeed done the trademark filing, the new Headset may have had options from the names like Reality One or reality Pro. The company may also register multiple names if it wants to launch a range of devices in the future.
For high-end products, Apple is known to use name titles such as “Pro,” including MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro. Apple headset is expected to include Apps such as Facetime and Maps in its VR- based version.
