Apple’s product marketing team has chosen “Lake Tahoe” as its theme for macOS 26, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says in his latest “Power On” newsletter.
Since 2013, Apple has named every new version of its Mac operating system after a significant place in California. The first one was Mavericks, a surfing location, and Apple went on to honor the state’s bays, mountain ranges, national parks, islands and even wine country. The current macOS is named after the Sequoia National Forest.
Gurman notes that thee names can provide hints about how important the software updates are. In 2014, a major redesign was given the name of Yosemite. The 2020 software, which accompanied a shift to in-house chips, was named Big Sur.
“Now we’re getting the third significant macOS redesign in the California naming era, and Apple is again looking for something special,” Gurman writes. “I’m told that the company has homed in on Lake Tahoe as its next moniker, making it macOS Tahoe. It’s a famous resort area and a vacation destination (and second-home site) for many Apple employees.”
Gurman has previously reported that will rename all of its operating systems in major rebranding to accompany this year’s big revamps. In other words, we won’t be getting macOS 16, iOS 19, iPadOS 19, tvOS 19, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2. Instead we’ll be getting macOS 26, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26.
Apple will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) online from June 9 to 13, 2025. Developers and students will also have the opportunity to celebrate in person during a special event at Apple Park on June 9. Available for free to all developers, WWDC25 will spotlight the latest advancements in Apple software. As part of Apple’s ongoing commitment to supporting developers, the conference will provide them with unique access to Apple experts, as well as insight into new tools, frameworks, and features, says Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.
This info from Gurman is from the free edition of “Power On”. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section.
