Apple Is Headed to the Metaverse As Soon As Next Month, According To A New Filing A suspicious new filing has fans of the tech behemoth speculating about what's to come ahead of the WWDC in June.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Indranil Aditya | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Maybe the Metaverse isn't dead after all.

Apple is usually at the forefront of technology but has yet to publily dabble into the world of mixed reality and the metaverse, despite other major tech players, such as Meta, having already created their own variations of VR headsets.

Still, rumors have circulated for months that something is in the works at Apple about the possibility (or rather, the inevitability) of what its debut foray into the metaverse will look like.

Now, that question might be answered. According to trademark patents, it appears Apple has registered for its first mixed-reality operating system, which will be called xrOS.

The trademark was first noticed by a Twitter user who provided screenshots of the filing made with the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office.

"holy sh*t! Apple trademarked (via a shell corp) an "xrOS" word mark in SF Pro in New Zealand just last week," he wrote.

In the screenshot, the image appears to follow the same format as Apple's iOS operating system — from the font to the capitalized "OS" lettering at the end.

Bloomberg initially reported in December that Apple was trademarking xrOS, citing "people with knowledge of the matter" and noted that the operating system would work with both virtual and augmented realities. At the time, an Apple spokesperson based in HQ in Cupertino, California, declined to comment on the rumor.

Palmer Luckey, who co-founded Meta's VR set Oculus, alleged that he tried out Apple's VR set and called it "so good," though neither Apple nor Meta confirmed the testing.

Apple's renowned annual Worldwide Developer Conference is slated to begin on June 5 and run through June 9, where xrOS is expected to be announced.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Buying / Investing in Business

Former Zillow Execs Target $1.3T Market

Co-ownership is creating big opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

If 80 Percent of Success Is Showing Up Then 20 Percent Is Following up

The excuses are many, but the solution is surprisingly simple.

Living

5 Language Apps That Can Change How You Do Business

Learn more about Babbel, Rosetta Stone, Qlango, and more.

Business News

College Professors Are Turning to ChatGPT to Generate Course Materials. One Student Noticed — and Asked for a Refund.

AI use in higher education is becoming more popular for students and professors.

Starting a Business

A Cambodian Refugee Paralyzed By Polio Says 'Not Much' Was Expected of Him. He and His Wife Built a Multimillion-Dollar Business That Beat All Odds.

Steve and Brittany Yeng were discouraged from pursuing their unique idea, but they didn't listen to the naysayers.