Hello,
I follow 9to5Mac on Mastodon & they, along with MacRumors, just posted this article about the naming conventions for Apple's operating systems, starting now & going forward.
What do you think?
I have long thought that Apple should number their software according to the year (similar to how Microsoft, Freedom Scientific, NVAccess, and other companies do). What strikes me as rather odd, though, is the speculation that Apple will just call their software versions 26, rather than 2026. To me, jumping to version 26 feels like just a huge number jump with no significant meaning; whereas calling it "2026" would make it clear that the numbering is in line with a release for the upcoming year.
Samsung did the same thing a few years ago, except for hardware rather than software. They skipped from Galaxy S11 to S20 I believe it was.
It definitely makes some sense.
Dave
If like Jaws or NVDA, the naming convention was the full year, plus a version number, like iOS 2025.5 instead of 18.5, I could maybe see that. I don't think the version would be just 25.5, because that would be too similar to the current strategy.
Also, iOS 19 or "26" as it is being rumored will launch in 2025. Wouldn't that make it more confusing?
For example, 10 years from now, if I said that I was using iOS 2035, does that mean I am using the version of iOS released at the 2035 WWDC, or the 2034 WWDC?
Although I do think having one number for them all, rather than iOS 18, macOS 15, visionOS 3, and watchOS 11, would be useful, choosing a year might make it harder to understand based on the year alone.
If apple were to say, call everything iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 19, visionOS 19, watchOS 19, it would be one number to remember.
Guess we will have to wate untill WWDC.
This won't happen this year, but if WWDC was in October, and the next version of iOS was released in January 2026, I could see that naming convention working.
The articles from MacRumors and 9to5Mac speculated that Apple might be doing what automakers are already doing. For example, the 2026 Toyota Tacoma would be released at the end of 2025. Another reason that was speculated was that Apple is naming the OS versions after the following year, in order to make sure the OS doesn't sound outdated when the next year rolls around. If Apple jumped to iOS 25, then when New Year's 2026 rolls around, it instantly makes the iOS 25 version number sound a little dated.
As for iOS 26 vs. 2026, I personally like iOS 26: it's traditional and already familiar to people who have been exposed to iOS for a long time. Then again, I'm not much of a JAWS or NVDA user, but I get where the 2026 argument comes from.
I'm not surprised other companies are doing this. I'm interested to see what, if any, other features we get for VoiceOver that weren't announced on Global
Accessibility Awareness Day. Eloquence is one such feature. It just arrived; it wasn't announced.
Is this like when they removed ten days from the calendar in the fifteen-hundreds, and people are going to be frantic because they lost many updates to their Os, and the opportunity to complain about them? I'm still jumpy about all the Windows naming changes. First the version, then the year, then just some leters, then words, then back to version numbers, except for that one number they skipped. Nine, I think it was, but I had already left Windows...
I plan to mostly ignore it on iOS, and just go with the flow. Even if they start using scenic names, or animal names, it's all good with me.
So Apple is boasting the dramatic redesign. Wallpapers and colours are not dramatic redesigns as far as I understand. iPadOS should depart iOS scheme of doing things, MacOS is still stubborn to intrinsic changes. Accessibility is not a priority anyways if or if not the dramatic changes are not really dramatic.
I think they should do this with the phones too. They kinda do it with mac and iPad, but theres a point where the numbers become quite abstracted. iPhone pro 2026 makes more sense than what ever number we're on now. First few iterations it works, after that, meh.
Whatever numbering system they end up using, I know that 19 is newer than 18, or 27 than 26, and so on. That's *way* less apparent when it's Herd of Frothing Mountain Cats vs. City of Industry California. Plus it's just inconsistent. Everything but Mac, so far as I can tell, is just <OS Name> <OS Number>. Of course Mac has this too, but there are tons of posts on here that are all, "OMG Voiceover was so face-meltingly totes better on Wasp's Nest"!
Comments
Leaving Off the First 2 Digits of the Year
I have long thought that Apple should number their software according to the year (similar to how Microsoft, Freedom Scientific, NVAccess, and other companies do). What strikes me as rather odd, though, is the speculation that Apple will just call their software versions 26, rather than 2026. To me, jumping to version 26 feels like just a huge number jump with no significant meaning; whereas calling it "2026" would make it clear that the numbering is in line with a release for the upcoming year.
Interesting indeed
Samsung did the same thing a few years ago, except for hardware rather than software. They skipped from Galaxy S11 to S20 I believe it was.
It definitely makes some sense.
Dave
I think just 26 would be weird.
If like Jaws or NVDA, the naming convention was the full year, plus a version number, like iOS 2025.5 instead of 18.5, I could maybe see that. I don't think the version would be just 25.5, because that would be too similar to the current strategy.
Also, iOS 19 or "26" as it is being rumored will launch in 2025. Wouldn't that make it more confusing?
For example, 10 years from now, if I said that I was using iOS 2035, does that mean I am using the version of iOS released at the 2035 WWDC, or the 2034 WWDC?
Although I do think having one number for them all, rather than iOS 18, macOS 15, visionOS 3, and watchOS 11, would be useful, choosing a year might make it harder to understand based on the year alone.
If apple were to say, call everything iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 19, visionOS 19, watchOS 19, it would be one number to remember.
Guess we will have to wate untill WWDC.
This won't happen this year, but if WWDC was in October, and the next version of iOS was released in January 2026, I could see that naming convention working.
These are just my thoughts.
Definitely Interesting.
This is interesting but makes sense when you think about it.
Rename the iOS?
Distraction? If they do not fix bugs it will not make a difference. You can call it whatever but if is not good, people will see through it.
my reaction
Wow. this scemes very interesting. we'll see if it's all true once the day arrives.
Oh, I saw Tailosive Tech…
Oh, I saw Tailosive Tech talking about this, didn't know where it was coming from though.
Vehicle Style Numbering
The articles from MacRumors and 9to5Mac speculated that Apple might be doing what automakers are already doing. For example, the 2026 Toyota Tacoma would be released at the end of 2025. Another reason that was speculated was that Apple is naming the OS versions after the following year, in order to make sure the OS doesn't sound outdated when the next year rolls around. If Apple jumped to iOS 25, then when New Year's 2026 rolls around, it instantly makes the iOS 25 version number sound a little dated.
As for iOS 26 vs. 2026, I personally like iOS 26: it's traditional and already familiar to people who have been exposed to iOS for a long time. Then again, I'm not much of a JAWS or NVDA user, but I get where the 2026 argument comes from.
this is a good thing
I'm not surprised other companies are doing this. I'm interested to see what, if any, other features we get for VoiceOver that weren't announced on Global
Accessibility Awareness Day. Eloquence is one such feature. It just arrived; it wasn't announced.
The Great Lurch
Is this like when they removed ten days from the calendar in the fifteen-hundreds, and people are going to be frantic because they lost many updates to their Os, and the opportunity to complain about them? I'm still jumpy about all the Windows naming changes. First the version, then the year, then just some leters, then words, then back to version numbers, except for that one number they skipped. Nine, I think it was, but I had already left Windows...
I plan to mostly ignore it on iOS, and just go with the flow. Even if they start using scenic names, or animal names, it's all good with me.
Dramatic Redesign
So Apple is boasting the dramatic redesign. Wallpapers and colours are not dramatic redesigns as far as I understand. iPadOS should depart iOS scheme of doing things, MacOS is still stubborn to intrinsic changes. Accessibility is not a priority anyways if or if not the dramatic changes are not really dramatic.
OldBear
Maybe Apple should name their iOS after storms. Catarina or Emily.
I think they should do this…
I think they should do this with the phones too. They kinda do it with mac and iPad, but theres a point where the numbers become quite abstracted. iPhone pro 2026 makes more sense than what ever number we're on now. First few iterations it works, after that, meh.
They need to dispense with the dumb cutesy names.
Whatever numbering system they end up using, I know that 19 is newer than 18, or 27 than 26, and so on. That's *way* less apparent when it's Herd of Frothing Mountain Cats vs. City of Industry California. Plus it's just inconsistent. Everything but Mac, so far as I can tell, is just <OS Name> <OS Number>. Of course Mac has this too, but there are tons of posts on here that are all, "OMG Voiceover was so face-meltingly totes better on Wasp's Nest"!