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Apple jumps to iOS 26, triggers internet meltdown and meme fest
In a sweeping rebrand, Apple is ditching its sequential naming system in favour of future-year labels - starting with iOS 26 in 2025. The goal is clarity, but the internet is already buzzing with confusion.
Currently, Apple's platforms run on a mix of version numbers: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and visionOS 2. (Image credits: Unsplash)
Apple is gearing up for a radical change in how it labels the software that powers the entire ecosystem - from iPhones to Macs.
According to reports, the tech giant will skip iOS 19 and jump straight to iOS 26, part of a new year-based naming convention that will apply across iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.
The move aims to create a uniform structure that aligns all operating systems to the year they represent - even if that means jumping several versions ahead. That means the software launching in late 2025 will bear the name of 2026, much like how automakers release "next year" models in the current year.
Currently, Apple's platforms run on a mix of version numbers: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and visionOS 2.
For users and developers alike, this fragmented numbering system can be disorienting. The new scheme is meant to simplify things — at least on paper.
But the reaction online tells a different story. One commenter quipped, “You know you’ve jumped the shark when you’re focused on rebranding instead of just fixing bugs.” Another added, “Why change the numbers? It seems odd really.”
However, Nothing CEO Carl Pei defended the move, stating, "The new naming will be easier to understand, normies can't remember all the version numbers and what they stand for anymore."
The new naming will be easier to understand, normies can't remember all the version numbers and what they stand for anymore.
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) May 28, 2025
More reactions:
Because it won’t be until 2026 when they finally deliver on the things they promise at WWDC 2025. pic.twitter.com/eZm9eHiVTH
— George K. (@snoozealarm13) May 28, 2025
İ am sure we get just new wallpapers and emojis?
— black0nder (@black0nder) May 29, 2025
Who cares what number these OS have, when Siri can’t answer the most basic questions?
— Gianmatteo Costanza (@emissionite) May 28, 2025
Must be some new MBA genius project
— Eugene Ray (@monomyth) May 28, 2025
this is what tim has been cooking
— Ricky (@itsrickyszn) May 28, 2025
This is the least of all the things Apple needs to improve.
— David Das (@daviddas) May 28, 2025
Then it's going to be iPhone 26 not iPhone 17.
— Lakshya Lark (@lakshyalark) May 29, 2025
— David Gaw (@davidgaw) May 28, 2025
Critics are also puzzled about the timeline. Apple typically releases major software updates in September. Will iOS 26 land this September or in 2026? The logic gets blurrier the more you think about it.
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