Apple’s work on the first version of the operating system for its long-talked mixed reality headset is coming to an end, while the new employees involved in the device will be coming to an end. skyrocketed before launching next year according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman,
The headset is thought to run “rOS” or “realityOS”, internally codenamed “Oak”. Apple’s work on the actual operating system has been rumored since 2017, but the operating system’s existence was finally confirmed earlier this year when references to it were found in the latest update. Apple’s ‘App Store’ download sign and Apple’s open source code.
The Actual operating system “will include mixed reality versions of Apple’s main apps like Messages, FaceTime, and Maps.” The first version of the operating system is said to be “under internal scrutiny and will be ready for new hardware next year”.
Gurman added that the job listing shows that the company is currently ramping up device-related hiring. Apple is hiring a software producer with experience in visual effects and game content workflows to create content for AR and VR environments, developers who can “create tools and frameworks to let enable connected experiences in 3D mixed reality” and engineers can work on developer tools, including App Intents, which enable apps to work with features like Siri and Shortcuts. Job postings also suggest that Apple is considering creating a video service for headsets, with 3D content that can be played in virtual reality.
In addition to a flurry of new employees, Apple is said to have also added a management team overseeing the headset’s development, bringing in a former senior executive from the self-driving car project and one of its chief executives and senior software engineering executives. The nature of the new posts suggests that a wide range of health and productivity applications could be coming to headphones.
