Trademark filings suggest Apple is prepping to release its long-awaited virtual reality headset as the company stakes its claims on potential names, according to a Bloomberg report. A VR headset will be the first brand new Apple product in years. 

Though the company hasn’t made the filings itself, it has employed several law firms to previously lock down brands. However, the trademark applications haven’t yet been approved so there’s no guarantee that Apple will be able to use these names in future products. The last time the company had unveiled a new product was seven years ago with the introduction of the Apple Watch.

So far, trademark applications have been filed in the UK, US, EU, Canada, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Costa Rica and Uruguay for the names “Reality One” “Reality Pro” and “Reality Processor”. The trademark applications provide some insight into what consumers can expect in terms of hardware from Apple.

Pro is usually used by Apple as its moniker for its high-end products like the iPad Pro, iPhone Pro and MacBook Pro. The rumoured Apple headset, first discovered to be codenamed N301 is expected to go the same direction that most Apple products do, highly expensive yet powerful and well designed.

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“Reality One” could refer to the standard headset, while the “Reality Pro” is likely the more powerful version. The “Reality Processor” could refer to Apple’s own proprietary chip that it has created specially for this line of hardware. Bloomberg has reported that Apple plans to use its M2 chip system (which has 16 GB of memory) but will likely require additional computing power to process high fidelity VR graphics. 

The news is likely to make Meta push harder to get its own VR and  augmented reality headset production completed. The company has been making moves in recent years to consolidate its position as the go-to for VR hardware and software. Recently, the company bought VR company Unlimited Within, a move which was stalled by the Federal Trade Commission which has stated that its interference is to prevent antitrust and anti-consumer behaviour. Meta has been aggressively buying VR companies in a bid to corner the market. 

Whenever Apple does release it will likely rival Meta’s Quest Pro, which is rumoured to feature eye tracking and body tracking.