Apple Operating Systems Jump to 26?

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Originally published at: Apple Operating Systems Jump to 26? - TidBITS

It’s no secret that Apple’s operating system version numbering has evolved organically. The company currently maintains seven operating systems with version numbers that begin with four different integers (macOS 15, iOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2), although they share so much underlying code that they tend to move together with decimal updates. That’s why I’ve started relying on shorthand in article titles like “Apple Releases iOS 18.5, macOS 15.5, and Other x.5 OS Updates” and tightening it even further to “OS x.5” in issue titles. Happily, the current numbering mess may soon be a thing of the past.

At Bloomberg, Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to identify the next versions of all its operating systems by year rather than by version number. If his information is accurate, we’ll see macOS 26, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and so on, which should make it much easier for us to keep track and trivial to remember when each version was current.

The OS 26 updates are likely to be released toward the end of 2025, so these new version numbers will look ahead to the next year, much as automakers do with vehicle model years. Unsurprisingly, Apple declined to comment on Gurman’s report, which also claims that the new operating systems will share a user interface refresh.

Version numbers based on years are nothing new in the software industry, but in the past, they often ran into problems when it came to shipping annual updates, making names feel outdated after a year or two. Adobe’s Illustrator 88 name (which was actually version 1.6) was a short-lived experiment, coming as it did between versions 1.1 and 2.0. Microsoft faced issues with the gaps between Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 before transitioning to Windows Me and Windows XP. Eventually, Microsoft reverted to numbers with Windows 7, and now we’re at Windows 11. Apple dabbled with year numbers for the iWork and iLife bundles but stuck with standard version numbers for the individual apps.

Given Apple’s consistency in releasing major operating system versions every year since 2007 for iOS and 2012 for macOS, I doubt we would ever find ourselves in a situation where a major version remains current beyond its designated year. While annual numbering may not immediately benefit those of us who regularly need to reference older versions of Apple’s operating systems, it will gradually simplify locating each subsequent upgrade on the overall timeline. (And for those who bemoan the annual updates that long ago became a fact of life, remember that they’re largely designed to keep Apple products competitive and attract switchers, who account for over half of Apple’s hardware sales each quarter.)

If you’re curious, as I was, here’s how we got to where we are now:

  • macOS 15: After many years of macOS versions incrementing a decimal number from 10.1 to 10.15 (forcing incremental releases within those larger versions to use a third number), Apple finally made an integer leap with macOS 11. Although the macOS names make them easier to discuss, with 7 big cat names and 12 California names, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to remember which name corresponds to which number.
  • iOS 18: The macOS numbers don’t align with the iOS versions, as we’re now at iOS 18. Version numbering for iOS has remained consistent throughout its history, with only an early name change from iPhone OS 3 to iOS 4. iPhone numbers are likely to remain out of sync, given they aren’t tied to an iOS release—the iPhone 16 shipped with iOS 18 but will undoubtedly be able to upgrade to iOS 26.
  • iPadOS 18: When Apple split iPadOS from iOS in 2019, it kept the version number, so the first version was iPadOS 13. Subsequent iPadOS versions have remained in lockstep with iOS.
  • tvOS 18: Similar to iOS, tvOS experienced a name change and a numerical update when it transitioned from Apple TV Software 7 to tvOS 9. According to Wikipedia’s descriptions, Apple based several versions of Apple TV Software on two versions of iOS, resulting in a discrepancy where Apple TV Software 6 was based on iOS 7. Following the name change, tvOS versions have aligned with iOS.
  • watchOS 11: With watchOS, Apple started from scratch with the first release in 2015. Since Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 1 with the second-generation Apple Watch, the hardware numbers have trailed the watchOS versions by one, with the Apple Watch Series 10 shipping alongside today’s watchOS 11.
  • HomePod Software 18: Although it’s internally referred to as audioOS, the public name of the HomePod’s operating system is HomePod Software. Initially, Apple didn’t distinguish it from iOS, with the HomePod Software name arriving mid-cycle with HomePod Software 13.4. Since then, HomePod Software versions have tracked with iOS.
  • visionOS 2: The 2024 release of the Apple Vision Pro introduced Apple’s latest operating system, visionOS, and the company once again opted to start visionOS versions from 1.

We’ll see if this naming change comes to pass at WWDC in just a few weeks (see “WWDC 2025 Scheduled for June 9–13,” 25 March 2025). Fingers crossed!

 

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Seen here with a link to a Bloomberg article.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-28/apple-to-rebrand-device-operating-systems-ios-26-macos-26-watchos-26

NEW: Apple will announce its biggest ever software rebrand at WWDC, tied to operating system redesigns. Apple is moving from version numbers to years (like Windows in the 90s). The new OSs: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, visionOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26.

I hope that this is true - it will make things a lot easier I think.

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Maybe. Maybe not.
Only Apple knows what will (not) happen.

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What I’d really like to see is Apple getting away from deciding that it has to produce a “major” new release each year whether it is ready or not.

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There is no need for a major release every Oct.

  1. Fix bugs and add minor features with routine updates throughout the year.
  2. Release major updates only once the features are ready. Ready here means once features have been implemented, tested, fixed, retested, and refixed, and then finally retested again. Not a day earlier.
  3. Also, pre-announce only changes that require devs to prepare things on their side. If Apple is releasing a new Finder feature, there is no need to announce it a day earlier than it is ready (and that is ready as detailed in #2).
  4. Documentation needs to be caught up. Don’t release major new features before you can supply the proper documentation. Not properly documenting crucial aspects of the OS or failing to keep that documentation up to date for years (here’s looking at you, APFS) is unacceptable.
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Oh, joy.

And the website Feedback - macOS - Apple. When I submitted a report of some anomaly earlier this year, neither the hardware (MBA M3) nor the software (I forget which version of macOS 15) was available in the dropdown menus. Sheesh. (A moment ago, the MBA M3 was still not listed.)

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While I agree with all four of your suggestions, I think the most critical one is #4: documentation. Inadequate documentation of new and changed features makes things harder for everyone—including Apple’s own employees. Documentation is, in general, the aspect of software development with the greatest lag time between proper updates.

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Agreed completely.

The problem (at least as I’ve observed it over my career) is that there are very few good engineers who are capable of writing good documentation. And there are few good writers who can properly understand cutting-edge technology well enough to write documentation for the masses to read.

Companies are often willing to pay nice salaries to top-tier engineers, but they are generally unwilling to pay similarly for top-tier writers.

So most projects end up with poor quality documentation, and not a whole lot of it at that.

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I also wouldn’t mind if Apple standardized hardware product names to include the “model year”, as automobile manufacturers do. The 2026 iPhone, the 2024 MacBook Pro, the 2025 iPad, etc. Stop the numbering, stop the inconsistent product naming.

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The 10.xx sequence of Mac OS releases was when the operating system was named OS X (roman 10). This makes no sense now that OS X has changed to macOS so a move to year designations could be on the cards.

On poor product documentation … the success of Take Control books is evidence of this.

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I would far rather have a good, stable, useful OS upgrade every two or three years, rather than one lacking those attributes every year. Hell, I’d even pay for such an upgrade!

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The funny thing is that they do this for most (but not all) Macs. But they don’t advertise these names. Note the text in your “About this Mac” box:

Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 09.48.59
Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 09.48.59392×611 57.9 KB

The MacTracker app lists these names as a part of the descriptions. For example:

  • iMac (17-inch Late 2006)
  • iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2011)
  • Mac Pro (2019)
  • MacBook Air (15-inch, M2, 2023)

But you’re right that it would be nice to do this for other device types. Looking at MacTracker, I see that iOS devices (iPad, iPhone) usually are listed as a product category and a generation number, which means you need to do a bit of research to determine if the latest model is new or a few years old.

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I was thinking it was the finale of " OS " … Like OS for all the devices when iOS and MacOS merge. /s

I don’t see the logic. I mean are users that confused? There was Windows 95 but no 96, 97, Windows 2022… And next will be Windows 12.

I just want better documentation, the ending of pushing it out the door and patching later. I guess that last one is just too much to ask for.

Meanwhile, iTunes/music still can’t fix the artwork not matching the original artwork.

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Maybe not, but it’s going to make the job for people like Adam a lot easier. For example, you can access this new feature so long as you have the 26 or later version of your OS installed is a lot easier than anything newer than iOS/iPadOS/tvOS 18, MacOS 15, watchOS 11 or visionOS 2. Really that applies to Apple talking about minimum OS required for particular features, too.

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What is the difference between IOS and iPad IOS?

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And Books has trouble displaying the right book cover image — even for purchased content. :man_facepalming:

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Apple split them a few years ago to make it easier to have iPad-only features like Split View. Whether they have made good use of this ability is a matter of debate.

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This. The yearly “major” release cycle is not a net positive. I miss the days when Apple issued new OS versions when there was good reason to do so and the new OS was mostly ready for prime time.

There are quite a few good reasons why some of us nurse along our older hardware and software.

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Not much. The two are based on the same OS kernel and share most of their system frameworks.

The differences are primarily:

  • Hardware-specific device drivers and system frameworks (e.g. Pencil support, FaceID) in order to support unique hardware differences.
  • UI changes to optimize the user experience for the different size/shape screens.
  • Bundled apps and app availability.

Personally, I think these differences are minor enough that I think the two names are just for marketing purposes.

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What @LarryR said.

Also, I was mildly chastised for using the term “iPadOS” not too long ago because the poster said it was “not a thing.”

Except that it is. And in my humble opinion it’s a good thing, because pure iOS apps on an iPad will run, but they look awful.

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