This yr’s iPhone software program launch may get greater than only a new coat of paint. Along with the most important design overhaul we’ve seen since 2013, Apple might skip about seven digits forward.
Based on Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to undertake a brand new quantity to align all of its working programs with their launch yr. Whereas there’s a sure logic to that, it’s additionally going to be an enormous bounce.
Gurman says this gained’t simply be for iOS. Along with iOS 26, we are able to anticipate iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and — for a actually large bounce — visionOS 26.
This could align the numbers for every thing, which is outwardly one in every of Apple’s targets. At the moment, iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS are the one working programs that share a typical quantity. iPadOS forked off from iOS 13 in 2019 to change into iPadOS 13, and Apple selected to start out tvOS with model 9.0 to align with iOS 9 when the fourth-generation Apple TV (now the Apple TV HD) was launched in 2015.
Apple might have carried out the identical factor with watchOS and visionOS, however it selected to start out these at 1.0. In the meantime, macOS has been down an excellent twistier highway. The primary model of “OS X” launched in 2001 was 10.0, however consistent with the “X” as ten, Apple caught with level releases even after it switched the identify to “macOS Sierra” with model 10.12 in 2016. It wasn’t till 2020 that the needle moved ahead with macOS 11 Huge Sur. Had Apple averted the purpose releases, we’d already be on macOS 21 with Sequoia, and if Apple adopted the underlying Darwin kernel model, it could be macOS 24.
Whereas the shift to “iOS 26” may take some getting used to, the alignment with years isn’t a brand new concept. Apple did this with its iWork and iLife suites once they had been offered as boxed merchandise in 2007 and 2010, an inspiration it probably took from Microsoft, which has been naming its Workplace suites by yr since 1995. The primary few Home windows variations adopted an identical naming commonplace, morphing into Home windows ME (Millennium Version) in 2000 earlier than switching to Home windows XP after which extra conventional model numbers.
Apple’s selection to make use of 26 for its working programs moderately than 25 relies on its launch cycle. In contrast to early adopters who bounce in on the first doable beta, most Apple customers run their main working system releases from September to September. This additionally follows the usual automotive firms use, so extra individuals will probably be aware of the thought.
Samsung made an identical transfer with its Galaxy S-series telephones in 2020, leaping from the tenth-generation 2019 Galaxy S10 to the Galaxy S20 in 2020, which has continued to the present Galaxy S25. Samsung releases its flagship telephones firstly of every yr, so it makes extra sense for the numbers to align on this method. There’s no indication but that Apple plans to do one thing related for the iPhone — this yr’s mannequin continues to be anticipated to be the iPhone 17 — however the firm has shocked us earlier than. Names are by no means a certain factor till Apple takes the stage and declares them in September.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]