Apple's iOS 26 rebrand suggests it's dodging the AI race, not leading it

Published May 29th, 2025 8:44AM EDT

Image: José Adorno for BGR

Bloomberg‘s report that Apple is considering rebranding iOS 19 to iOS 26 shows that the once-innovative company leading the tech industry now seems to be making excuses to avoid the AI race. As I’ve written a few times before, this WWDC 2025 (at least based on the rumors so far) could have been one of the greatest Apple keynotes ever… if the company hadn’t completely missed the point.

While Google and OpenAI are leading with agentic AI features and cutting-edge tech, Apple is focused on creating a more design-consistent experience across its platforms. I’m a big fan of redesigns, new languages, and consistency (which Apple lacks in its product names and features). Still, it’s odd that the company won’t have much Apple Intelligence to show while interest in AI keeps growing.

If you’re reading BGR, you probably care a lot about the latest technologies and trends, which is something that might not be true for your coworkers, family, or friends. Just after Sam Altman and Jony Ive announced their big partnership with io, I was super excited. Some of my friends, though, were just like, “Who’s Jony Ive?”

We live in a tech bubble, and maybe Apple’s right. Maybe most people aren’t ready for AI or just don’t care. Most users will probably enjoy the new design language without thinking twice. Still, if all Apple has to offer is renaming iOS 19 to iOS 26, then it’s hard to say the company is leading anything.

Sure, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 will bring other features. But Apple needs a faster answer to AI, and especially to its painfully outdated Siri.