Apple’s long-rumored digital or augmented actuality headset won’t launch till 2023, however builders have noticed further mentions of a brand new “realityOS” that would energy it. First referenced as “rOS” in 2017 by Bloomberg News, realityOS was additionally noticed as a part of some pre-release iOS 13 builds. 9to5Mac reports that builders have now discovered references to realityOS in GitHub repos and in App Store add logs.

“What is Apple’s realityOS doing in the App Store upload logs?” asks iOS developer Rens Verhoeven. Fellow developer Steve Troughton-Smith says a GitHub repo referencing realityOS confirms it “has its own OS & binaries… and has a realityOS simulator.” He additionally speculates this might merely be “a remnant of somebody’s pull request from a fake account.”

The authentic Bloomberg report that referenced rOS in 2017 famous that the working system is predicated on iOS. Apple is a fan of utilizing the OS shorthand for its working techniques, together with iOS, watchOS, tvOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Geoff Stahl, an Apple veteran, was reportedly one of many administrators in control of the realityOS software program group in 2017.

The new references to realityOS come months after analyst Ming-chi Kuo claimed Apple’s first AR headset would arrive later this yr with “the same level of computing power” as an M1 Mac. Kuo additionally suggests the headset shall be a standalone platform, which may additional clarify the necessity for a devoted working system. RealityOS might be a codename Apple has been utilizing for 5 years, however Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says the codename for the OS is definitely “Oak,” so realityOS might be the ultimate title. Either approach, the continued references recommend it’s a venture that’s key to its headset.

Bloomberg has since reported that Apple’s headset might not launch till 2023, and that the corporate had deliberate to disclose it at this yr’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Apple is reportedly going through challenges with overheating, cameras, and software program that would push again the headset reveal. But it’s additionally doable Apple may wish to get the software program growth kits for realityOS within the fingers of builders forward of its debut.