Apple is reportedly skipping a bunch of numbers and jumping straight to "26" for its next major software updates. Yep, instead of the expected iOS 19, we're apparently getting iOS 26 this fall. This applies across the board – iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 are also expected. This wild move is expected to be announced at WWDC on June 9th.
So, what's the tea? Why the big leap? According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the main goal is to bring consistency to Apple's branding and ditch a system that can be confusing for both customers and developers. Right now, platforms like iOS (at 18), watchOS (at 12), macOS (at 15), and visionOS (at 2) have different version numbers because they didn't launch at the same time. This new yearly naming system aims to make things uniform.
Apple is reportedly taking a page out of other industries' playbooks. It's similar to how car manufacturers name their models after the upcoming year. Microsoft did it with Windows 95. Samsung did it by jumping from the Galaxy S10 to the S20 in 2020. Even though the software update is expected to drop in the fall of 2025, it will be named for 2026. This kind of "plus one" approach is reportedly what's happening here. Reports even suggest Apple spent a good chunk of change ($25 million through McKinsey) on consumer testing for this rebrand. This naming shift is also expected to coincide with a major visual overhaul of the operating systems, drawing inspiration from visionOS to create a more unified look and feel across devices.
So, what's the impact on you, the user?
Easier to tell what's current: The year number should make it pretty straightforward to know if your device is running the latest software. Unified Vibe: It'll be clearer which OS versions across different devices belong to the same annual release cycle since they'll all share the '26' number. This might make cross-platform APIs easier for developers, too. Less Confusion (Eventually): The different numbers across platforms are intended to be a thing of the past.
But, low-key, there are some potential rough patches:
The Number Leap: Jumping from, say, iOS 18 or 19 directly to 26 is going to feel... random. It's going to make people wonder, "Uh, where did 19 through 25 go?". It feels "clunky and weird" to just arbitrarily jump numbers like that. The iPhone/iOS Mismatch: This is the big one. How are you going to have the expected "iPhone 17" running "iOS 26"?. Seriously, "What the f*ck," one source exclaimed, feeling like they're "taking crazy pills". This mismatch is seen as awkward and a "total mindfuck". Some sources speculate that Apple might have to rename the iPhone lineup to match the software year, though that could negatively impact the hardware's resale value. Timing Shenanigans: The '26' software launches in late 2025. While the car analogy exists, some might still find it counter-intuitive to have a '26' product available in '25. Potential for Bug Fixing: One comment noted that this annual naming scheme might make it harder for Apple to take a year off to focus purely on bug fixes.
In short, Apple is reportedly making a major branding play by shifting to year-based OS names starting with "26" for the updates coming later in 2025. This is all about consistency and simplifying things over the long haul. While it might make it easier to see which software is the latest and how platforms align, the initial skip in numbers and the potential awkwardness of an "iPhone 17" running "iOS 26" could definitely cause some head-scratching at first.
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