Apple’s augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) headset, which has been rumored for a while, may be getting closer, if a revealing source code leak, according to some, is to be believed.
In 2017, Bloomberg reported knowledge of “rOS”, a new operating system believed to have been created to run a future virtual reality product. The news site predicted at the time that such a device could be delivered as early as 2020. Obviously, this did not happen.
Since then, rumors have popped up here and there about Apple’s continued efforts on this theme. Over the years, ever-changing claims have suggested that the mysterious headset will be both standalone and require an iPhone to tether it to. They also reported processing levels comparable to an iPhone and, more recently, a Mac M1.
Through all these contradictory “leaks”, Apple has remained silent. However, the company may have just given its first unwitting hint that its VR/AR project is not only alive and well, but is about to enter beta.
A new clue reported on Twitter
The clue in question comes in the form of source code that was reported by several developers on Twitter and later covered by MacRumors. The code, taken from an open-source data slate found in a recent App Store update log, references “RealityOS” on multiple lines. It would appear to be the longer, more fleshed-out version of the nascent “rOS”, which we’ve known for almost five years.
One of the authors of the discovery, Steve Throughton-Smith, note that the collective references to RealityOS indicate two things: that Apple’s headset now has its own operating system and binaries somewhere, and that there’s also a RealityOS simulator in use. The developer also claims that certain syntax in the data indicates that an SDK for RealityOS has already been created.
If these claims are accurate, it means that some developers may have already gotten their hands on the software and emulation tools they would need to develop games, apps, and other content for the preview device. .
Apple will, of course, want any product of this nature to launch with several high-profile launch titles in place. If the latest set of rumors pointing to late 2022 or early 2023 as the launch window for the long-awaited hardware turn out to be true, work on those launch titles would likely already be underway. For now, we will have to wait. After almost a decade of waiting, it shouldn’t be too hard to wait a little longer.
Source: ZDNet.com