Apple reportedly ditching traditional OS version numbers in favor of year-based naming with 'iOS 26' debut
In a major branding shift, Apple is expected to overhaul its operating system versioning by aligning it with the calendar year—starting with 'iOS 26,' 'macOS 26,' and 'watchOS 26'—according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This change will reportedly be announced at Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
The move means Apple will likely skip conventional sequential updates such as iOS 19 or macOS 16. Instead, all of Apple's major platforms—including iPadOS, tvOS, and visionOS—will adopt the unified '26' label, signaling a broader effort to simplify and synchronize the company's versioning across its ecosystem.
The new naming convention won't reflect the actual release year, but rather the year the OS is intended to represent. So, iOS 26, for example, will debut in late 2025 but remain the flagship version through most of 2026—a practical shift, given Apple's fall release schedule.
In addition to the naming update, Apple is preparing sweeping user interface redesigns across all platforms. Inspired by the futuristic design cues of visionOS introduced in 2024, the UI refresh will include a sleeker look and new interactions. One notable feature in the pipeline: a renewed attempt at offering Mac-style multitasking capabilities for the iPad.
While many consumer-facing platforms moved away from year-based naming in the early 2000s, enterprise and productivity software—including Linux distributions, Windows Server, and Microsoft Office—have continued to embrace the format for clarity and consistency. Apple now seems poised to follow suit, marking its biggest versioning shakeup since the transition from macOS X to macOS 11 in 2020.
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Business Standard
16 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Elon Musk pushes US lawmakers to fast-track self-driving car approvals
By David Welch, Ed Ludlow and Kara Carlson Elon Musk is pushing lawmakers to help clear a path for driverless vehicles, according to people familiar with the matter, part of a broader effort behind the scenes to lobby for a key priority of Tesla Inc. In recent weeks, Musk and people who work for him have been calling members of Congress directly to gather support, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. He has also been weighing in on revisions of a bill introduced on May 15 that would begin setting up a basic framework for autonomous vehicles. Options discussed include expediting the bill or presenting a more detailed measure similar to it before Congress's July 4 recess, one of these people said. On Friday in an Oval Office press conference Musk said he will continue to advise President Donald Trump even after he steps away from the Department of Government Efficiency he has spearheaded. 'The administration's policy is driven by one thing and one thing only: achieving the president's agenda and his commitment to the American people,' White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told Bloomberg. Musk and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Clearing the path for autonomous vehicles would be a huge win for Musk, who has said he's refocusing on running his business empire. He's increasingly betting Tesla's future on autonomy and robotics. Tesla plans to launch its long-anticipated rideshare service in Austin on June 12, using a small fleet of existing Model Y SUVs, Bloomberg reported. Tesla also aims to add purpose-built Cybercabs, expected to reach volume production next year, to its rideshare service. Right now, Tesla's Cybercab usage would be limited by federal rules that only allow special exemptions for a test batch of 2,500 vehicles that lack a steering wheel and control pedals. Tesla and other operators have pushed for years to get a federal standard to allow such driverless vehicles on America's highways. The Trump administration has said it's amenable to federal rules for AVs and Musk has used Tesla's earnings calls to advocate for a federal framework for self-driving cars. A White House official said Tesla has to make business decisions that are in its best interest. The person, speaking under the condition of anonymity to discuss private matters, said the president will continue to focus on making American energy dominant again and will pursue policies to support that infrastructure. 'It'd be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving as opposed to 50 independent sets of rules on a state-by-state basis,' Musk said to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy when he visited Tesla in May. Currently, companies running AVs are keeping the numbers small and are adhering to a patchwork of state rules. In Texas, Tesla will face few regulations at its launch, with the state regulating autonomous vehicles much like any other car, only requiring cameras, insurance and the ability to follow traffic laws. Congress has had various bills pushing to permit a range of 80,000 to 200,000 autonomous vehicles per manufacturer, but none have managed to pass through the Senate. One bill passed the House in 2017 to allow 100,000 AVs on public roads, but the Senate never brought it to a vote. There, trial attorneys lobbied Democrats to keep new rules at bay without guarantees of how legal liability would be managed. Representative Bob Latta, a Republican from Ohio who's a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and sponsored the bill, is working on revisions with plans to reintroduce it within the next few weeks, said the people. Latta did not return requests for comment.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Builder.ai faked business with Indian firm VerSe to inflate sales
, the artificial intelligence startup that recently announced plans to declare bankruptcy, faked business with the Indian social-media startup VerSe Innovation for years to falsely inflate its sales, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg and people with direct knowledge of the practice. The two companies routinely billed one another for roughly the same amounts between 2021 and 2024, documents reviewed by Bloomberg show, as part of an alleged practice known as "round-tripping" that the people said used to inflate revenue figures it presented to investors. In many cases, products and services weren't actually provided to either company for these payments, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. Umang Bedi , a VerSe co-founder, said it was 'absolutely baseless and false' that his company would have recorded expenses or billed services that it didn't receive or provide. 'We're not the kind of company that is in the business of inflating revenues,' he said in an interview. A representative for declined to comment. once valued at about $1.5 billion, is the most high-profile AI startup to collapse since ChatGPT's launch started a global investment frenzy. Its downfall shows the risks inherent in the rush to back AI startups as investors seek to replicate the success of industry heavyweights such as OpenAI and Anthropic. The London-based startup, which pitched its tech as a way to make apps with little or no coding, said earlier in May it planned to file for bankruptcy after a major creditor seized most of its reported earlier that overstated its projected 2024 sales to creditors by 300%, which contributed to the lenders' decision to seize the company's funds. Bloomberg also reported that US prosecutors have demanded that the company hand over financial statements, accounting policies and a list of its customers as part of a subpoena. has declined to comment on the subpoena. The company has acknowledged it's found discrepancies in its historical sales but has declined to comment on the scope of the alleged overstatement. collected close to $60 million in revenue from VerSe in the four-year period for services such as application development, according to people with knowledge of the situation. In turn, the AI startup sent funds to VerSe and its subsidiary, Quark Media Tech, for services such as marketing, the documents show. The two companies appear to have interspersed the timing and amount of the invoices to avoid suspicion, though each firm ultimately spent approximately the same amount, according to the people and documents. Bedi, a former managing director for Facebook in India and South Asia, said VerSe started working with around 2021, but denied that the companies were acting in cooperation or failed to deliver any services. 'There is no correlation on any timing of any payment to any partner,' Bedi said. had raised more than $450 million from investors, including Insight Partners and the Qatar Investment Authority , or QIA, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds. Microsoft Corp. invested in 2023 and announced plans to integrate the startup's offerings with Microsoft's cloud and Teams product. 'We see creating an entirely new category that empowers everyone to be a developer,' Jon Tinter, a Microsoft corporate vice president, said at the time. A representative for Insight Partners didn't respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for Microsoft and QIA, which also invested in VerSe, declined to comment. In February, founder Sachin Dev Duggal stepped down as chief executive officer, although he remained on the board and retained his title as 'Chief Wizard' at the nine-year-old company. He was replaced as CEO by Manpreet Ratia, an investor with Jungle Ventures, a backer based in Singapore. Shortly after joining, Ratia said he planned to strengthen the company's governance and policies. Three months after taking the role, he told employees the company planned to shut down. 'With no viable alternatives, the Board has made the extremely difficult decision to enter into insolvency,' he wrote in an internal email reviewed by Bloomberg. Duggal did not respond to multiple requests for comment. VerSe, which is based in Bengaluru, is one of the largest consumer tech newcomers in India. VerSe has said that its news aggregation app, Dailyhunt, has more than 350 million monthly users, and it released a video app, called Josh , right after the Indian government banned TikTok. In 2022, VerSe raised $805 million from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and other investors in a round that gave the startup a $5 billion valuation. Goldman Sachs and Google had invested in VerSe earlier. Representatives for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Goldman declined to comment. Google didn't respond to requests for comment. In VerSe's financial report for the year ending in March 2024, its auditor Deloitte wrote in its opinion that the startup lacked 'appropriate internal controls' over several aspects of its business, including its information technology, advertising revenue and relationship with suppliers. Those flaws 'could potentially result in material misstatement' of the company's accounts, the auditor wrote in the report, which was reviewed by Bloomberg. Bedi pointed out that Deloitte did sign off on the startup's accounts as 'true and fair.' He described the issues the auditor flagged as common 'process control' difficulties that the company was working through. The Deloitte opinion was previously reported by the Indian publication Mint. The newspaper also reported in April that VerSe's chief financial officer had resigned ahead of the startup's expected initial public offering. Bedi said the CFO, Sandip Basu, left for health reasons. He said the company currently has 'very little debt' and plans to break even by the second half of 2025. He said the company is speaking to potential advisers about an IPO, but doesn't have firm plans. Basu couldn't immediately be reached for comment. founder Duggal and Bedi have cooperated publicly and Duggal has posted on social media with Bedi . In 2023, Duggal added a photo on his verified Instagram account showing him and Bedi standing together, sporting light colored blazers, in front of 10 Downing Street, the official residence and office of the British Prime Minister. 'With my main man @ at @10downingstreet for #londontechweek,' Duggal wrote, tagging Bedi's verified account. In a later LinkedIn post, Duggal thanked Bedi for contributing to a gathering in Singapore as one of the 'incredible speakers from the extended family.' Bedi said he participated in the event via Zoom and did not travel to Singapore. He said he invested about $10,000 in Duggal's company, which was previously known as around 2017. But Bedi said he has only met Duggal 'two or three' times, noting that the London meeting was part of a broader group of tech executives and entrepreneurs. 'I don't have a very close interpersonal relationship,' Bedi said. 'I have a professional business working relationship.'
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Google judge mulls softer remedies in US search antitrust case
By Jody Godoy WASHINGTON: A federal judge in Washington suggested on Friday he is considering making Alphabet's Google take less aggressive measures to restore competition in online search than the 10-year regime proposed by antitrust enforcers. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta heard closing arguments on Friday at a trial on proposals to address Google's illegal monopoly in online search and related advertising. "Ten years may seem like a short period, but in this space, a lot can change in weeks," he said, citing recent developments such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI buying a device startup. The DOJ and a coalition of states want Google to share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers to be the default search engine on new devices. At the hearing, the judge floated the possibility of limited data sharing and ending the payments only if other measures do not increase competition. He also grappled with the rise of artificial intelligence products that could replace traditional search engines. An alternate default search engine in Apple's Safari browser is unlikely to come from existing rival search engines like DuckDuckGo or Bing, the judge said. "If anything it's going to be one of these AI companies that can do more than just search. And why? Because maybe people don't want 10 blue links anymore," he said, referring to earlier iterations of Google's search engine. The case has already rattled Google's share price by exposing Apple's plans to offer AI-based search options. The trial began in April and Mehta has said he aims to rule by August. AI "RIVALS"? Antitrust enforcers are concerned about how Google's search monopoly gives it an advantage in AI products like Gemini and vice versa. Nick Turley, OpenAI's product head for ChatGPT, testified that the ChatGPT creator is years away from its goal of being able to use its own search technology to answer 80% of queries and that having access to Google search data would help it focus on improving ChatGPT. Turley also said OpenAI would be interested in buying Chrome if Google is forced to sell it. But Mehta questioned whether companies like OpenAI or Perplexity should be considered Google competitors who would be given access to any data Google is required to share, given that the case focused on search engine competitors. "It seems to me you now want to kind of bring this other technology into the definition of general search engine markets that I am not sure quite fits," the judge said to DOJ attorney Adam Severt. Severt replied that while the first part of the case focused on the past, the remedies must be forward-looking. John Schmidtlein, an attorney for Google, said at the hearing that while generative AI is influencing how search looks, Google has addressed any concerns about competition in AI by no longer entering exclusive agreements with wireless carriers and smartphone makers including Samsung Electronics , leaving them free to load rival search and AI apps on new devices. Schmidtlein argued it would be inappropriate to give successful AI companies like OpenAI technology that Google has spent 20 years perfecting. "Coming to Google and asking Google for a handout when they are the market leader seems completely disproportionate to what this case is about," he said.
