Tomasz Wadowski
On June 9th, Apple will kick off its annual WWDC conference, but if the leaks are to be believed – this time it won't start with a new weather widget or more privacy features. Right off the bat, we will receive something that will change the way we think about Apple’s operating systems. And no, this is not a joke. Apple plans to clean up the numbering and sort things out once and for all.
One number for the entire ecosystem
Apple has been developing several operating systems simultaneously for years – iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and recently also visionOS. Each of them debuted at a different time and has its own numbering, which caused quite a bit of confusion. For example? iOS is at version 18, iPadOS also 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, and visionOS... just 2.
According to the latest information revealed by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple wants to put an end to this and standardise the naming conventions. From now on, all systems will jump directly to number 26. iOS 19? There will be none. There will be iOS 26. macOS 16? No – macOS 26. Even visionOS 3 will be replaced by visionOS 26.
Why "26"? It's not a coincidence
The change in number is not arbitrary. Apple plans to link versioning of the systems with... model years, just as car manufacturers do. This means: the system debuting in autumn 2025 will receive the number 26, as its full lifecycle will fall in the year 2026. This is meant to simplify communication and help users quickly understand which generation they are dealing with.
This is a purely strategic move – it tidies up marketing, eliminates chaos, and at the same time strengthens the message: Apple is one ecosystem. Cohesive. Thoughtful. Modern.
WWDC 2025 – a strong start
WWDC is an event primarily for developers – a place where Apple showcases new tools, APIs, and features that will drive applications for the next year. But the opening keynote of the conference is always something more: it is a display of power. This is when Apple announces the biggest changes. If Gurman's leak turns out to be true, unification of numbering will become one of the main highlights of the first day.
What does this mean for users?
At first glance: not much. We will still receive a new version of the system with new features that will appear in autumn on our iPhones, Macs, or Apple Watches. But underneath – this is a big change. Apple shows that it thinks of its products as one whole. Not as a set of separate systems, but as a unified platform that evolves together.
