A new patent filing from Apple may indicate the company plans to bring spatial audio to its rumoured AR or VR headsets.

The application, as reported by Apple Insider, details a user interface that could create a “synthesised reality” (SR) including multiple sensory outputs. Spatial audio could allow sound to adjust itself based on user movement, and let users identify discrete sources of sound in a three-dimensional space.

“An individual may interact with and/or sense a SR object using any one of his senses, including touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound.

“For example, an individual may interact with and/or sense aural objects that create a multi-dimensional (e.g., three dimensional) or spatial aural setting, and/or enable aural transparency,” the filing reads.

AR “Apple Glasses” have long been speculated, with tipsters predicting launches as soon as 2022-23, though respected leaker Jon Prosser’s prediction of a March-June 2021 announcement failed to pan out. The company is also expected to release a VR headset next year to compete with the likes of the Oculus Quest 2 (above), HTC Vive, and Microsoft HoloLens.