Apple has hired the former head of communications for Meta’s augmented reality division, Andrea Schubert, according to Mark Gurman’s Bloomberg Power On newsletter.

A company like Apple will naturally pick up notable talent on a regular basis, but this particular hire is of interest. It suggests that Schubert may have a major hand in the launch of Apple’s rumored virtual and augmented reality headsets.

The headset is expected to launch in 2022, though as it’s part of an entirely new lineup, there’s no good historical guide to when it might appear. Your best bets are in June at Apple WWDC and then in September, along with the next-gen iPhones.

Either outcome gives Schubert and the team a good half year to strategize this potentially impactful release. Or to “get your ducks in a row,” as Gurman puts it.

Last month, Gurman, again in his Power On newsletter, suggested that Apple plans to launch the headphones in 2022. Right now, though, there are two distinct identities it could take on.

Apple’s first headphones may primarily be a set of smart glasses, something that doesn’t completely obscure your normal vision. Or it could be a full VR headset, more akin to the Oculus Quest 2.

To conclude that Meta/Facebook group engagement suggests the latter is the obvious route may be an exaggeration. However, there are proven examples of success stories of the latter, while smart glasses to date have never caught on. That Google Glass from 2013 remains the most notable example of the form is not a great sign.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo claims that the headset will have a built-in processor based on Apple’s M1 architecture, as seen in Apple’s MacBooks. And that it will use a pair of 4K resolution OLED screens, one for each eye. Therefore, augmented reality apps will use cameras to glue external elements into view, rather than overlaying AR objects on your normal view.

This VR-based approach is likely to enable compatibility with a good selection of existing iOS apps, particularly Apple Arcade games that are already optimized for use with a gamepad, rather than just a touch screen. That mat proves important in the headset’s early months, when Apple’s bespoke headset apps and gaming ports can be sparse on the ground.