According to related patent filings and recent job posts, technology giant Apple appears to be gradually making its way into the metaverse.
Since November 1, more than 30 positions in the field of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) have been posted on Apple’s careers page. The Big Tech company is looking for a combination of software and hardware developers to work primarily in its Technology Development Group (TDG).
TDG is a top-secret Apple team that is thought to have existed as early as 2017 and is now focusing on developing AR and VR technology. Even while it is widely regarded as a tech industry “open secret,” Apple has never formally acknowledged such a device was in the works.
According to its careers page, Apple is currently searching for over 150 positions, but one job posting from August specifically mentions a form of “3D mixed-reality world.”
A portion of the job description for an AR/VR network engineer reads as follows:
“In this role you will work closely with other developers and build tools and frameworks to enable connected experiences in a 3D mixed-reality world.”
An Apple AR/VR headset will be produced by Taiwanese electronics company Pegatron, which Apple currently uses for its iPhone 14 gadget, according to a Nov. 9 Digitimes story citing unnamed sources. Mass production is anticipated to begin in Q1 2023.
According to a Pegatron spokesman, “details linked to a specific customer or product cannot be commented on owing to confidentiality.”
Meanwhile, according to patent applications from the USPTO, Apple trademarked “Reality One” and “Reality Pro” in August. Both are defined as “photographic and optical apparatus and instruments” and “virtual and augmented reality headsets, goggles, and glasses,” respectively.
The registrations were issued under the name “Immersive Health Solutions LLC,” a Delaware shell company frequently utilized by major corporations like Apple to conceal their future product plans.
According to a search of Delaware’s corporate entities, “The Corporation Trust Company,” the largest registered agent service provider in the world and one that Apple and other well-known corporations like Google, Walmart, and Coca-Cola use, was founded the company on February 11.
In December 2021, the same company was listed in a trademark application for “RealityOS,” which is thought to be Apple’s operating system for its rumored forthcoming headset.
Other trademark applications, including one from China under the name Apple Inc., depict a haptic “VR glove” that tracks the movement of specific fingers and further indicates the company’s interest in a potential Metaverse realm.
When asked about the company’s Metaverse chances during a Q1 2022 earnings call in January, Apple CEO Tim Cook remarked, “We see a lot of potential in this field and are investing accordingly.”
According to numerous reports that surfaced in January 2022, Apple had planned to introduce the headset during its June Worldwide Developer Conference, but that plan fell through due to a number of production difficulties.
