Mark Gurman reports that Apple is prioritizing the development of an operating system for its AR/VR headsets, which will be named ‘xrOS’. This means that Apple has diverted engineering resources away from working on iOS 17 and macOS 14 features in order to complete the headset software in time for the expected product launch later this year.
As a result, Gurman said iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS 14 may have fewer major new features than originally planned. Apart from that, the development of the new augmented reality feature for the Apple Store app seems almost ready for release.
Augmented Reality features are activated when a user enters a physical Apple Store. Via her Apple Store app on her phone, the user points to a retailer product, such as an Apple Watch band, to see detailed information overlaid in an augmented reality view.
This kind of AR-enhanced shopping experience might be something Apple has in mind for headsets as well.
Gurman reports that Apple has been working on an AR shopping feature since 2020, and recently tested it in stores. This suggests that this feature may be officially announced soon.
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