Apple job listings hint at major features for the rumored mixed reality headset

Apple’s next major product—a mixed-reality headset that may bar dubbed “Reality Pro” and/or “Reality One” — isn’t set to arrive until next year. However, job listings and personnel changes at the company give a preview of some of the device’s capabilities, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes in his latest “Power On” newsletter. 

He says few job listings indicate that Apple is ramping up its work to bolster the device with content. The tech giant is reportedly searching for a software producer with experience in visual effects and game asset pipelines who can create digital content for augmented- and virtual-reality environments.

Gurman says the job listings also imply that Apple is looking to build a video service for the headset featuring 3D content that can be played in virtual reality. This would follow the company’s 2020 acquisition of NextVR, which partnered with artists and professional sports leagues to transmit VR content to headset.

Purportedly, Apple is also looking for engineers who can work on development tools geared toward virtual and augmented reality. Gurman says that, unsurprisingly, it appears that the company wants its new operating system (rumored to be dubbed “rOS”)  to use App Intents, which lets apps work with features like Siri and Shortcuts.

Also, from Gurman: The most interesting job listing is one that specifically calls out the development of a 3D mixed-reality world, suggesting that Apple is working on a virtual environment that is similar to the metaverse—though don’t expect Apple to embrace that term. Its marketing chief said at a recent event that metaverse is “a word I’ll never use.

This info is from the free version of Power On. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section with Mark Gurman.