Apple is currently gearing up to host its annual developers conference, WWDC, which is scheduled to kick off on June 9. While the event is expected to showcase the company’s latest software innovations, a new report suggests Apple is planning a major rebranding move — changing how it names its operating systems.
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According to Bloomberg, Apple could drop version numbers like iOS 18 and macOS 15, and instead start naming its software based on the upcoming year. That means the next wave of updates will likely be called iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26.
This change aims to bring a consistent naming style across all Apple platforms. Currently, different devices have different version numbers because their first releases happened at different times, which can be confusing for users and developers. The new naming format is expected to simplify things and make it easier to understand which versions belong together.
The yearly naming style is similar to what Samsung and Microsoft have done in the past. Samsung began naming its Galaxy S phones after the release year starting with the Galaxy S20 in 2020. Microsoft used year-based names like Windows 95 and Windows 98 for its operating systems.
In addition to the rebranding, Apple is preparing several new features. The iPad could get a Mac-like interface to make it more useful for work. Apple will also likely allow developers to leverage the AI technology used by the Apple Intelligence platform.
Other expected features include live translation for AirPods and Siri, eye-scrolling on the Vision Pro, a new Arabic-English keyboard, a digital calligraphy tool for Apple Pencil, an AI-powered battery management mode, and a brand-new gaming app.