WWDC 2025: What to Expect From macOS 26 Tahoe

[Slix]

I could see Apple requiring an M1 for mac OS 26 - it’ll be a big release and I’m sure would make it easier to build experiences that can rely on Apple Intelligence. It would require dropping support for early 2020 machines, but that wouldn’t be crazy. I do always find it confusing what features work where since you have to slice by both OS and processor.

I doubt they'll drop that many machines this year. But either way, Apple has had processor independent features for decades now. AirDrop and AirPlay Mirroring didn't work on every Mac that could run the OSes they shipped with. Dashboard didn't have the ripple effect in Tiger on older Macs with lesser graphics cards.

 

[haunebu]

Windows 95 wants its naming convention back.

Tim Cook isn't out of ideas... He never had one.

 

[Radin.Y]

I wonder if it had anything to do with Samsung’s flagship phones’ numbering. The next one coming early 2026 will be S26, so for most of the year Apple will be competing with Samsung for selling premium phones, and maybe they don’t want their number lagging behind Samsung’s, potentially making a customer think Apple’s device is outdated in comparison. Just a thought.

 

[Axemantitan]

Given the 20 years Apple called every release MacOS X, OS X or macOS 10.something. It is way closer to version 26 then 16 and the next major release should probably be macOS 30

Starting from 10.0 "Cheetah" the current version, 15, should be 21.

macOS version history - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[tsubikiddo]

Is this new transparency new UI going to be Apple's Window Vista moment ?
after the Siri debacle last year, I am not confident and ready for a shock 🥶

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Can't wait for MacOS Turbo! Will it make my PowerBook G4 feel like a new machine?

 

[Olde Dave]

You have to remember millions of different people use these things.

I think you have to realize that of the millions of different people who use these things, only a very small portion even care enough to know what version of iOS they are on. For the average, every day user it just doesn't register for them.

I guarantee that I could go right now and offer my wife any amount of money in the world and she couldn't tell me what version of iOS is installed on her phone. She just doesn't care. I'd also be willing to bet that if you stopped average people on the street and asked them what version of iOS was on their phone a majority couldn't tell you without looking in their settings...If they even knew how to do that.

Thinking that there is going to be "mass confusion" about this numbering change is a bit much.

 

[lazyrighteye]

The amount of complaining over including the year is wild. It’s not at all complicated and, as a bonus, is actually stronger branding. Moving forward, it’ll just be iPhone, iPad, iMac, etc., differentiated by year. So. Easy.

They do this in the automobile industry and exactly zero people have an issue with this. It’s a Toyota Tundra. Period. The year quickly indicates styling, features, etc.

Apple’s naming conventions are a mess. I’m in the camp that welcomes this simplification.

 

[TVreporter]

Average Apple user: Woah!! Going from 15 to 26 - this update must be life changing!!

 

[Nermal]

Starting from 10.0 "Cheetah" the current version, 15, should be 21.

macOS version history - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Or 31 if you count the "classic" OS (although prior to System 6 its numbering was a bit idiosyncratic).

 

[jayyosh1213]

Didn’t Windows do that 10 years ago…named everything by the year? How’d that work out for them?

More than 10 years ago. The last year named OS from Microsoft was Windows 2000 Professional.

 

[Big_D]

I can’t take the stupid “26” naming scheme seriously at all, it feels like an elaborate inside joke
Please Apple don’t let this happen

I'm not sure 26 is the right number, but I do think it is a good move that all OSes on all devices have the same base number.

I have 15.5 on my MacBooks, 18.5 on my iPhone, iPad and TV, 11.5 on my Watch. It makes it much easier to have them all on the same level, then you don't have to remember, that macOS is 3 versions behind iOS and the Watch is 7 versions behind, so it is actually on the latest version. Instead, if everything is on 26, it is up to date.

 

[Big_D]

i’m not quite sure of the value of using all these translucent windows and menus in macOS. Is this going to greatly improve the legibility and visibility of screen elements?

It didn't really work on Linux in the early 2000s or later on Windows, in fact I turned it off on those at the time. My eyes are very sensitive to things being out of focus and my right eye constantly struggles to make it focus, which leads to eye strain and headaches.

I've had to walk out of the cinema on several occasions, because the projector wasn't focused properly.

I will wait and see, whether they have something that works, or something I need to turn off, but the idea of translucent backgrounds to windows with what is behind it blurring through doesn't thrill me.

 

[redheeler]

• OS X 10.x ➡️ MacOS 10.x
• MacOS 10.x ➡️ MacOS x
• MacOS x ➡️ MacOS y

All in the last decade. Make up your mind Apple and stick to a coherent versioning system please...

And the name leaked this early? No fun speculation this year...sad

 

[redheeler]

Oh but they do, and the mass confusion that'll uprise when iOS 19, 20 ... 25, macOS 16, 17 ... 25, watchOS 12, 13 ... 25, and visionOS 3, 4 ... 25 all just vanish overnight will just be a very easily avoidable problem. You have to remember millions of different people use these things.

There's no clear indication these things are named off the year. When I first read the headline with this rumour I had no idea it was representative of the year. It just seemed like a random number. That'll be a problem.

Several generations of each Apple device line will sound like they have been supported for a different length of time longer than others. iPhone 8: iOS 11 - 16. iPhone 11: iOS 13 - 26? How on earth was the Apple Watch Series 5 supported for 5 years from watchOS 6 to 10 where the Series 6 lasted 20 years from watchOS 7 to 26?

People who use a single Apple device will also have no idea why their software update is telling them to update to a version from ten years in the future.

This is such a bad idea on so many levels and I hope Gurman is the idiot here, not Apple.

Most people don't pay attention to the version number on MacOS these days, except for developers, IT people, or troubleshooting when things go wrong...and for these an accurate version number is preferable to a stylized one.

 

[xyz01]

Simple numeric counting that everyone can easily understand

The current one is just as easy? This current scheme isn't a weird one like the CPU numbering schemes of Intel and AMD, where Apple is just putting its toes in the water by having M3 Ultra released alongside M4.

 

[VPsmith]

I can’t take the stupid “26” naming scheme seriously at all, it feels like an elaborate inside joke
Please Apple don’t let this happen

Maybe somebody lost their job after leaking it because it's not real.

 

[Gioser]

Let’s at least wait to see something concrete…

I’ve been reading a lot of complaints about the rumored macOS 26 interface, and honestly, most of them seem pretty premature. Transparency has been part of macOS for years, it’s nothing new. Now that it might return in a more prominent way, we’re already seeing the usual comparisons: “It looks like Windows Vista,” “It’s just visionOS on desktop,” “Apple is iOS-ifying everything.” But let’s be honest: if the design were flat, people would be saying, “It looks like Windows 8!” So no matter what direction Apple takes, someone is always ready to complain.

As for the overly rounded icons seen in some concepts (those overly circular ones that resemble washing machine windows), I get the concern. But these are just unofficial fan-made mockups. Nothing has been confirmed. Judging a new OS based on speculation doesn’t make much sense.

And then there are people complaining about the idea of unifying version numbers across Apple’s platforms. Personally, I think it’s a smart move. Right now we have macOS 15, iOS 19, watchOS 11, visionOS 2… all part of the same ecosystem, but with confusing versioning. Having a unified version number would make things clearer and more coherent, especially for users trying to understand how everything connects.

In the end, it’s the same story. When Apple doesn’t change anything, people complain. When Apple might change something, people still complain. It’s not really about the design, it’s just the usual habit of criticizing no matter what.

Let’s wait for WWDC and see the real thing before jumping to conclusions. Until then, all this noise is just that… noise.

 

[Will Co]

So in other words… Tahoe will be just “lipstick on a pig.”

Well, I wouldn’t call Sequoia a pig, exactly. But if this rumour is correct then Tahoe does seem to be a nothing burger.

 

[jchap]

Let’s at least wait to see something concrete…

<snip>

Let’s wait for WWDC and see the real thing before jumping to conclusions. Until then, all this noise is just that… noise.

Without the "noise", this site would probably be a very quiet place...

 

[Jeeve Stubbs]

Given the 20 years Apple called every release MacOS X, OS X or macOS 10.something. It is way closer to version 26 then 16 and the next major release should probably be macOS 30

Not really. Most of the annual X/10 releases were incremental improvements not worthy of being given a new version number.

 

[delsoul]

I can't wait for macOS 27 Skid Row, or macOS 28 The Tenderloin.

 

[Kottu]

I don’t really care much about how an OS looks—as long as the UI is solid. I had to use Linux (Ubuntu) for a few weeks for a project, and to my surprise, the tasks I needed to get done were actually easier on Ubuntu than on macOS. Window management, in particular, was far more efficient.

I’ve said this before: Apple should seriously consider releasing a macOS version for the iPad. What’s the point of having a device as powerful as a MacBook if it’s not versatile enough to match it? At the very least, do something like Samsung DeX—let users plug the iPad into a screen and instantly get a full desktop-like macOS experience.

Sure, some might argue it could cannibalize Mac sales. And it probably would. But Apple would sell more iPads than ever. Keep the MacBook Pros for power users—they’ll still buy them. But Apple needs to expand its customer base, not just hold on to existing users and trap them inside the ecosystem.

By the way, I don’t expect much from Apple, but I am sure that Apple will release new emojis.

 

[Casinoalcohol]

This transparent effect, harkens to the days of windows XP my only time using a windows PC.

I think you mean vista. That’s when the transparent was introduced

 

[Jeeve Stubbs]

Stick with a design language for at least 3 years!!! I don't need a new OS every year. I want stability and a focus on bug fixing. It's fine to have updates that add new features but this whole UI change is just stupid. That goes for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, everything!

Just try Windows then. New OS every 5 years or so, UI rarely changes, pretty stable system, frequent automatic updates, very versatile, access to all third-party software, and excellent backward compatibility.
When I read "Mac does that", it sounds like a joke. There are so many things you can't do on macOS but can on Windows, not because macOS isn't powerful enough but because Apple doesn't want you to. The famous walled garden: fine for older users afraid of "pressing the wrong button", but frustrating for us geeks who know what we're doing and would appreciate more freedom. How many times have I read on this website that macOS now has this or that feature, and it's been available in Windows forever.