"If the current speculation is correct, Apple's 2026 operating system releases will follow a familiar path: they're more likely to mimic the macOS Snow Leopard pattern set in 2009 than deliver a raft of snazzy new features. Snow Leopard, if you recall, was intended to be a refinement of all the new technologies introduced in the preceding Leopard version of macOS rather than something with a ton of new features."
"Apple is now in the position of shipping major updates for six different platforms every year - macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. And while most of these platforms share features and foundations, each is still somewhat distinct. Even iOS and iPadOS have begun to diverge significantly, and with the changes in iPadOS 26, this separation is even more apparent."
Apple's 2026 operating system releases are expected to prioritize refinement over major new features, following the macOS Snow Leopard model. Snow Leopard refined technologies introduced in Leopard while still adding notable capabilities such as Exchange Active Sync. Apple must coordinate annual major updates across six platforms: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. Shared foundations enable portability of features, but each platform retains distinct characteristics. iOS and iPadOS have diverged increasingly, and iPadOS 26 amplifies that separation. The scale and divergence of platforms make a refinement-focused release cycle a pragmatic approach.
Read at Computerworld
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