Beginning with whether or not it is going to be known as macOS 26 or macOS 16, there are such a lot of rumors about what the subsequent replace to the Mac working system will carry. This is what’s anticipated, and almost certainly to occur.
The one certainty is that the subsequent main replace to macOS will probably be introduced on June 9, 2025, in the course of the WWDC keynote. Past that, it’s now wanting extremely seemingly that this successor to macOS 15 Sequoia will probably be known as macOS 26 — and it is strongly rumored that it is going to be introduced as macOS Tahoe.
If Apple does title macOS after a area in California, it is going to be persevering with the now 12-year-long custom. Beforehand, the then-called OS X was named after cats for round 11 years.
That numbering change, if it does occur, will probably be executed throughout all of Apple’s working programs. They may then be in line with one another, and likewise because the quantity refers back to the yr after launch, it is going to be clearer when an OS got here out.
No matter what occurs with the general public title or variety of macOS, although, internally the brand new replace is now anticipated to come back with adjustments recognized as “Solarium.”
“Solarium” visible adjustments
Repeated rumors make it appear seemingly that the Mac and all of Apple’s working programs — maybe bar visionOS for the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional — will get a big, even dramatic, overhaul. The explanation visionOS will not get such marked adjustments is that they’re all stated to be impressed by what Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional customers already see.
There isn’t any element, solely a fairly obscure supposition that the Mac’s visible overhaul will probably be a slick and trendy reinvention of the acquainted interface. Again in 2020, Apple introduced many adjustments with macOS Large Sur, however it seems that “Solarium” will probably be extra vital.
The brand new macOS 26 is predicted to take design cues from Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional
It is not going to be that the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, will all look utterly like visionOS. However visionOS does function Apple’s newest person interface work, so a minimum of some touches reminiscent of window designs could come to the Mac.
There needs to be a purposeful profit, although. It will not be that Apple will simply carry over a design that appears good, it wants to supply higher readability or usability for Mac customers first.
As ever when there may be any rumor about Apple, although, extra hypothesis follows. On this case, the rumor that the “Solarium” replace will carry a visionOS-style design to the Mac has led to some presumption {that a} touchscreen MacBook Professional could comply with.
There have been so many clues, over so a few years, that Apple is contemplating a touchscreen Mac, that it is unimaginable to rule it out.
However Apple is extraordinarily good at selecting when to announce what. Even when macOS 26 can help touchscreens, Apple may not reveal that till it launches a touchscreen MacBook Professional.
Theoretically, Apple might launch units at WWDC, however the convention is ostensibly for builders. The corporate has launched new {hardware} at WWDC, however usually when there was one thing builders wanted to work with.
So in 2020, Apple introduced the primary Apple Silicon {hardware}, particularly in a Developer Transition Package.
It would not appear seemingly that including a touchscreen would imply a lot — or any — extra work for builders, although. And at current, the subsequent MacBook Professional seems as if it is going to come later in 2025.
Apple’s 2025 to 2026 releases
Lately, most particularly in 2024 with Apple Intelligence, Apple appears vulnerable to spacing out new options in its OS releases. So quite than every part coming with the general public launch in September 2025, are presently extra more likely to be unfold out into 2026.
Primarily based on how Apple Intelligence has gone to this point, it is a truthful guess this spreading out will occur once more. Plus you may make sure that no matter Apple Intelligence options are up to date, they are going to be on the iPhone first.
Nonetheless, it has been constantly anticipated that Siri will get a big replace with macOS 26 and the remainder of Apple’s OS lineup. That may be mainly the identical replace that was promised with 2024’s launch of Apple Intelligence, nevertheless it was initially thought that there can be extra.
Particularly, it was repeatedly reported that there may also be a ChatGPT-style chatbot for Siri. Maybe there nonetheless will probably be, however the newest rumors counsel this yr’s WWDC will probably be a scaled-down affair, and options such because the Chatbot will probably be introduced in 2026 as a substitute.
Definitely one thing must be executed with Siri, since as a substitute of enhancements, it has constantly proven downgrades in efficiency, accuracy, and even simply usability.
Siri might get an LLM backend in 2026
However that is moving into the world of a macOS wishlist, and there but options which might be both anticipated to come back, or truly recognized to be coming.
What’s recognized
Apple retains its OS particulars as secret as it may possibly, besides for each Might when it merely lays out for us an entire slew of options. They’re newest Accessibility options Apple is engaged on, and whereas the corporate by no means offers specifics about when they are going to be launched, they’re within the subsequent main OS replace.
These Accessibility options are throughout the iPhone — the place they’re arguably most helpful — but in addition embody Mac-specific ones. Akin to a Magnifier, and an Accessibility Reader.
The previous brings to the Mac the magnifier that has lengthy been on iPhone. Utilizing an exterior digicam — not any built-in Mac selfie one — customers can level their lens at something they’re struggling to see.
Enlarging textual content and utilizing an hooked up iPhone to carry Magnifer to the Mac — picture credit score: Apple
Equally, Accessibility Reader is for individuals with visible impairment. In an identical approach to the prevailing Reader view in Safari, however with extra and finer controls, it alters fonts, spacing, and colours to make studying simpler.
Mac customers will get a brand new Braille Entry options, that embody the flexibility to open Braille Prepared Format (BRF) information.Plus a launcher will let customers open any app by typing with a linked machine, or Braille Display Enter.
Apple has additionally stated that it’ll introduce what it calls Accessibility Vitamin Labels to the App Retailer. Meaning customers will have the ability to see what accessibility options an app has or helps, earlier than they obtain it.
What else is predicted
It has been rumored that Apple will announce that it’s now supporting Google Gemini inside Apple Intelligence. Presently Apple Intelligence solely helps ChatGPT, however extra companies have been promised, and Google is eager.
Then talking of Apple Intelligence, it has been rumored that the iPhone will get an AI-powered battery well being system. So if, as an illustration, your calendar says you could have a 6 a.m. assembly, the iPhone will know to cost absolutely as a substitute of holding again till your typical 8am get up time.
If that does come to the iPhone, it appears a simple win for Apple to additionally present it for MacBook Air and MacBook Professional. Though Apple has been engaged on iOS battery well being programs since a minimum of the iPhone 15, and a few of these options have but to come back to the Mac.
Gaming and good house options
Provided that Apple not too long ago purchased the video games firm behind “Sneaky Sasquatch,” it clearly has ambitions in gaming that transcend its present Apple Arcade platform.
It is subsequently been strongly rumored that Apple will use WWDC 2025 to unveil a gaming app. The expectation is that Apple desires to ascertain its units as gaming ones, and so would debut the sport throughout all its units.
Apple could introduce homeOS as a brand new software program platform
Apple has actually lengthy needed to ascertain its units as being prime to be used in good houses, and has had its HomeKit companies for years. Now it is also rumored {that a} new homeOS will probably be introduced at WWDC.
Once more, whether it is, Apple will most likely present it in use on the iPhone, maybe the iPad, or perhaps even the anticipated however not but introduced House Hub. Nonetheless, homeOS will probably be included into macOS with a minimum of any new House app being current.
Who will get the brand new options
Yearly, there is a matter that the newest macOS could have system necessities that imply it may possibly’t run on as many Macs as its predecessor. That used to are likely to imply that there was a transparent line with some Macs supporting the brand new OS, and a few not.
macOS 26 could not help the 2018 MacBook Professional or the 2017 iMac Professional.
That line has been blurred, although, since Apple moved from Intel to Apple Silicon. Variations of every macOS since have been launched for each processors, however some options have needed to be excluded from the Intel selection.
This time, it’s rumored that there’ll notable Intel Macs that can’t run macOS 26 in any respect. These embody:
- MacBook Professional 2018
- Intel MacBook Air 2020
- iMac Professional 2017
- Mac mini 2018
These are at present supported by macOS Sequoia, however they’re additionally the oldest Macs that may run that OS in any respect. Consequently, it will not be a shock if they can’t help macOS 26.
Nonetheless, it does imply that the variety of Intel-based Macs that Apple helps with the newest macOS is dwindling. It is doable that this may increasingly even be the final yr that any non-Apple Silicon Macs are supported.
WWDC 2025 and macOS
Whereas it has lengthy been the iPhone that will get probably the most consideration at WWDC, there may be by no means a yr that the Mac would not get some new options. They can not all be like 2020 when macOS Large Sur appeared like an enormous overhaul of the Mac.
But now if the rumors are appropriate, WWDC 2025 goes to incorporate a way more radical change to the Mac than even that.
Every part will probably be introduced on the keynote on June 9, 2025, and doubtlessly a developer beta will probably be launched then or very quickly afterwards. That developer take a look at launch will probably be adopted in just a few weeks by a public one.
Even builders who need to check out the brand new macOS will not achieve this on their important manufacturing machines, although. AppleInsider recommends by no means putting in any beta, and as a substitute ready for the official public launch of macOS 26 in September.
