As Apple prepares for the launch of its highly anticipated Vision Pro augmented and virtual reality headset next month, the company is making an unusual request to developers: don’t describe the device or its apps using the terms “AR”, “VR”, “XR”, or “MR”.

In its Vision Pro App Guidelines updated this week, Apple states that apps designed for its new wearable should be referred to as “spatial computing app” instead. This is even though when Vision Pro was first unveiled at WWDC 2023, Apple CEO Tim Cook explicitly referred to it as “an entirely new AR platform.”

The rationale behind Apple’s preferred branding seems to be differentiating Vision Pro from competing products like Meta‘s Quest headset and related “metaverse” virtual environments. Apple VP Greg Joswiak said in 2022 that “metaverse” is a term he’ll “never use.” Focusing on the term “spatial computing” emphasizes Vision Pro’s abilities to map and understand physical spaces.

Still, Apple’s insistence that developers avoid calling Vision Pro apps “AR” or “VR” experiences is raising eyebrows given the device’s core augmented and virtual reality capabilities. Vision Pro includes dual 4K displays and spatial audio for immersive VR gaming and media, as well as advanced outward-facing cameras and sensors for blending digital imagery with the real world ala AR.

When Vision Pro launches on February 2nd starting at $3,499, the extent to which developers adhere to Apple’s prescribed vocabulary for discussing it will offer an interesting window into the company’s branding priorities and strategy. As the first major tech giant to bring this type of advanced mixed reality hardware to market, Apple is intent on defining the narrative and labels used to describe this new computing paradigm on its terms.

Whether avoiding the broad terms “AR” and “VR” in favor of “spatial computing” ultimately serves clarity and understanding for consumers discovering Vision Pro’s capabilities remains to be seen. But Apple is clearly envisioning more than just a new gadget — it’s attempting to shape the very language used to describe a transformational shift it believes these technologies represent.