Apple plans to rename its major operating systems, instead of incrementing version numbers, Bloomberg reports. Starting from the next update, the company will mark them by year, with numbers aligning with the release date rather than the actual release year.
This change aims to make Apple’s software version numbers more consistent, as current naming schemes vary widely (e.g., iOS 18, watchOS 12, and visionOS 2). The next big update will be labeled as iOS 26, while iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS will follow suit with their respective year-based names.
Apple is set to officially announce this change at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), starting on June 9th. During the conference, the company is also expected to unveil a design overhaul of its operating systems, inspired by the Vision Pro’s visionOS.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/675945/apple-operating-systems-new-name-year-ios-macos