iOS 26 to launch next month, along with new gaming app
WWDC 2025 is happening next month, and Apple is apparently looking at a major naming scheme leap for all their operating systems. We may see iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26 arrive next month, as part of naming overhaul to align all the versions according to the year. Now, why is it 26 instead of 25? Well, this is a common naming scheme in the automotive industry, so maybe this is a callback to the failed Apple Car project. RIP.
WWDC 2025 to change the way Apple operating systems are numbered
Currently Apple has a very confusing stack of operating systems. We have iOS 18, watchOS 12, macOS 15, tvOS 18 and visionOS 2. By simply numbering all of them according to the year they are released, consumers have an easier way to identify whether the current version they are running is outdated or not. Now, whether this change will apply to any new operating systems Apple introduces — carOS 26? — remains to be seen, but it will be quite hilarious for a new operating system to launch with a two-digit version number right off the bat.
We can also expect Apple to infuse more AI features into the new operating systems, as that’s currently the next push. Apple has been equipping all their chipsets with very capable Neural Engines — read, NPUs — since 2017, so I do hope Apple takes full advantage of them with Apple Intelligence.
New user interface, new gaming app?
Aside from a new name, Apple is also allegedly going to unveil a new fresh user interface across all their current operating systems at WWDC, reportedly named Solarium. A new gaming app is reportedly on its way too, with Apple training their sights on the gaming industry. This new gaming app is expected to replace Game Center, providing a more cohesive gaming social experience across Apple’s gaming platform.
It will remain to be seen whether Apple will continue to add more native titles on macOS, as the Apple M-series chips pack some of the most impressive integrated graphics in the industry right now, probably only behind the AMD Strix Halo.
What do you think about what’s coming from Apple? Do you prefer if Apple’s current numbering scheme or this newer one?
