 Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Though Apple Inc.'s Worldwide Developers Conference likely won't include a debut of its next big thing—a powerful mixed-reality headset—the device will still cast a shadow over the event. Excitement over the secretive new product continues to build among developers, consumers and Apple engineers, and the company may at least give a few hints during next week's WWDC about what's eventually coming. What certainly will be at the conference are significant updates to the company's core operating systems: iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS and macOS. This year's event is likely to usher in a wider-than-usual breadth of new features. The iPhone's iOS 16 is set to get a new lock screen with widgets, the Apple Watch will get a new low-power mode and upgrades to watch faces, and the iPad will get revamped with a focus on pro users. On top of updates to core features, I'm expecting Apple's apps for the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac to get notable upgrades. Look for a revamped Mac System Preferences, fresh fitness apps on the Apple Watch, and updates to Messages and Health on the iPhone. There's even the possibility of a new MacBook Air on Monday. Apple had planned to launch the new laptop at this year's conference, but the much-discussed Covid-related lockdowns in China led to shutdowns of factories that make MacBooks, leading to potential delays. If the new Air is indeed announced at the conference, I'd expect shortages or a non-immediate release date. The new Air will be the biggest revamp to the device in over a decade, bringing in a new design not dissimilar to the latest MacBook Pros and new colors (including a dark blue and a champagne-like gold in addition to space gray and silver). You can expect a 13-inch display, a pair of USB-C ports, MagSafe charging, Touch ID, no Touch Bar and the possibility of a notch to match its pricier cousin. A faster 13-inch MacBook Pro had also been planned to launch around the same time as the new Air, but those same lockdowns in China could have thrown off that part of the roadmap as well. When that machine does launch, expect it to look the same as the current 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2020 sans the Touch Bar. While these announcements will excite Apple fans and developers, the bigger-picture question remains the status of the mixed-reality headset and its related software: realityOS (also known as rOS). As we've reported before, the headset will combine elements of virtual reality and augmented reality, and put Apple in closer competition with Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. Last week, Parker Ortolani discovered that a mysterious company recently filed a trademark for realityOS, the name of the Apple headset operating system I first revealed in 2017. The trademark isn't registered to Apple, but rather a newly formed shell company named Realityo Systems LLC out of Delaware.  The RealityOS trademark. Source: US Patent and Trademark Office Companies like Apple that are looking to distance themselves from trademarks in the name of secrecy often set up shell companies. The lawyer that was used to file the trademark also has some loose ties to the iPhone maker. While there is no explicit evidence that the tech giant is the trademark holder of realityOS, the move has all of the hallmarks of an Apple filing. The company actually first registered for the realityOS name on June 9, 2021, in Liechtenstein, a small country located between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is one of the countries where Apple files for trademarks long before they are needed in the US. That's because a treaty allows a company to file for a trademark in one country and have priority registration for that same name in another — as long as it's within 6 months. That's why the US trademark filing date is December 9, 2021, about 6 months after the original filing. While Apple previewed the device for its board of directors just weeks ago—a key step toward an ultimate debut—I still don't think we'll see a full-blown unveiling at this year's WWDC. I do, however, think we'll get a ton of new clues at this year's conference and that the device will hit stores next year (an arrival in the US first is under consideration, I'm told). That's because Apple's headset initiative isn't simply the device and its operating system. It's an entire set of new VR- and AR-powered Apple apps and experiences, a slew of input paradigms never seen before on the company's products and a completely new platform for third-party developers. In recent months, work on the operating system and its accompanying frameworks for developers has ramped up significantly. I would pay close attention to Apple's next updates to Metal, Reality Composer and various video codecs. It's also no coincidence that recent updates to Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro added virtual reality video and Spatial Audio support, respectively.  A customer uses an iPad for an AR tour of the Apple Park campus. Photographer: SOPA Images/LightRocket As part of its work on a development platform for the headset, Apple is aiming to make user interface elements like body tracking, hand tracking, gestures, hand-based typing and Siri access automatically embeddable inside third-party apps—just like iPhone elements such as the keyboard get automatic integration into iOS apps. Apple is also working on a new version of SwiftUI for building AR and VR apps. The system will predictably work closely with RealityKit and Metal. And the company is working on a new development environment for the Mac to let developers simulate the headset and their in-development apps before getting the device in hand. The Apple headset's operating system started as an offshoot of iOS and tvOS, and the company has explored a feature for easily converting iPad and Apple TV apps to the headset—not dissimilar from its Catalyst framework for converting iPad apps into Mac apps. While third-party apps are a key ingredient of this project, Apple is also planning a slew of its own apps. That includes a VR version of FaceTime that can scan a person's face to replicate their movements in a Memoji, a new VR version of Maps, and rOS variants of core Apple apps like Notes and Calendar. Also in the works is a way for the headset to extend a Mac's display, bringing it into 3D. Moreover, the company is leveraging its entertainment arm and acquisitions like NextVR to build 3D versions of its content. Don't be surprised to eventually see virtual reality iterations of Apple TV+ shows and Fitness+ workouts. Apple's increased foray into sports is also not a coincidence, and I'd expect that to tie-in nicely as well. All that excitement and future potential should help make the headset the talk of WWDC this year, even if it's not actually there.  An Apple store in Miami. Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg Apple agrees to improve work schedules for retail employees. The company is continuing to make changes to its retail operations in an effort to push back against unionization. So far this year, Apple has enacted two pay increases, improved child care benefits, added new vacation and sick day policies, and even sent some stores new coffee machines. Next up on the list: new policies around scheduling and work hours. Here are the changes coming for Apple retail employees: - A minimum of 12 hours between shifts, an increase from the current minimum of 10 hours.
- A maximum of three days per week when employees can work past 8 p.m., unless they choose to work late shifts.
- Employees won't be scheduled to work more than five days in a row, a change from a maximum of six days in a row. There could be exemptions during new product launches and holidays.
- Full-time employees will be eligible for a dedicated weekend day off for each six-month period.
So far, one Apple retail store has backed out of a vote over whether to unionize, alleging that Apple interfered with the process. But another store is still moving ahead. My take on all of the recent Apple changes: Why did Apple wait until its back was against the wall with unionization to listen to its employees and make real change?  Apple's Universal Control feature. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg June 6-10: WWDC 2022. Apple's developer conference will be held virtually (save for a small on-site crowd) and span the entire week. The big news will be on Monday, when the company holds its annual keynote address to announce its latest software. Later that day, Apple will hold a developer-focused presentation known as the State of the Union. | 
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