Apple revamps operating system names, moves to year-based labels

APPLE PARK, CUPERTO, CALIFORNIA: Apple Inc. is planning the most sweeping change yet to its operating system names, part of a software overhaul that extends to all its devices.

The next Apple operating systems will be identified by year, rather than with a version number.

That means the current iOS 18 will give way to ‘iOS 26’. Other updates will be known as iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26.

Apple is making this change to bring consistency to its branding and move away from an approach that can be confusing to customers and developers. Today’s operating systems – including iOS 18, watch OS 12, macOS 15 and visionOS 2 – use different numbers because their initial versions didn’t debut at the same time.

The company will announce the shift at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9. The branding will accompany fresh user interfaces across the operating systems – an attempt to ensure a more cohesive experience when people move between devices.

The new look, dubbed Solarium internally, will include tvOS, watchOS and parts of visionOS, reported Bloomberg.

Apple targets end-of-2026 launch for AI-enhanced smart glasses, shelves camera-enabled watch plans

In 2020, Samsung revamped its flagship Galaxy S phone line after its launch year, moving to the Galaxy s20. That device’s predecessor, which debuted in 2019, was the Galaxy s10, representing the 10^th generation. In 1995, Microsoft shifted to naming major operating systems after the year they launched, rolling out Windows 95 and then Windows 98 and Windows 2000.

The big difference is Apple will use the upcoming year rather than the current one. Though its next operating systems will launch around September 2025, they’ll be named for 2026 – not unlike how car companies market their vehicles. If Apple keeps the strategy, the following set of releases will carry the 27 moniker.

Apple previously attempted something similar with its software bundles for office work and creative apps. In August 2007, it rolled out iWork 08 and iLife 08. That was eventually followed by iLife 11, which went on sale in October 2020.

As part of the changes, Apple plans to give the iPad a more Mac-like experience, potentially making it more useful for office work. And the company is opening up its AI model to third-party developers, letting them tap into the underlying technology used by the Apple Intelligence platform.

Other new features coming this year include a live-translation mode for AirPods and the Siri voice assistant, as well as an eye-scrolling option on the Vision Pro headset. In the artificial intelligence realm, Apple is planning health features and an AI-enabled battery management mode.

There also will be a new bidirectional Arabic and English keyboard, a digital calligraphy pen for Apple Pencil users and a new app for gaming on Apple devices.