By John Moltz
May 30, 2025 2:00 PM PT
This Week in Apple: Reworking the system
Apple flips the board on OS numbering and gets its game on. Then, Tim Cook gets some help from the system.
What’s in a number?
Hang on to your hats because your nicely ordered list of Apple operating system releases is about to get all messed up again.
“No iOS 19: Apple Going Straight to iOS 26”
Yes, Apple is hurtling over the integers from 19 to 25 in favor of having release numbers match the last two digits of the year. It’s only been a quarter of a century and we have already forgotten the lessons of the Y2K bug. Sucks to be you, iOS users 75 years from now.
This is, of course, a bit of a hassle for developers, but in the long run it makes some sense. Also, it’d be nice if they went back to animal names instead of places in California but I’m not holding my breath.
Whatever it’s going to be numbered, expect it to be deeper… deeper… deeeeeper than any iOS since iOS 6, as Apple returns to more layered look, finally ending Jony Ive’s reign of flat terror.
No word yet on the return of felt, buuut…
Recentering games
It’s official! Apple is finally a gaming company! (Disclaimer: not an official proclamation.)
“Apple acquires videogame studio behind hit Arcade title Sneaky Sasquatch”
Oooh, it’s gettin’ serious now! (Disclaimer: it is not “gettin’ serious now”.)
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, however, says Apple is so serious about gaming that there’s going to be an app for that.
“Apple to Debut Dedicated Gaming App Within Days of Switch 2’s Arrival”
The software will serve as a launcher for titles and centralize in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications and other activity…
We call it “Center of Games”. And we think you’re going to love it. (Disclaimer: are we going to love it? Eh.)
There’s no way this is some end run around the crackdown on App Store rules right? “Oh, games? They’re not in the App Store now. They’re in Center of Games. Totally different system. That we also completely control.”
Nah, they’d never do that.
Would they?
Nah.
Hmm.
De-fense! De-fense!
Good news for Tim Cook! The system still works! Just barely! And in certain limited circumstances! (Void where prohibited.)
“Trump Tariffs Ruled Illegal by Federal Judicial Panel”
How about that? Trump’s tariffs were blocked by people [squints] enforcing the law? They still do that? Just judges out there doing their jobs? Huh. Weird. I mean, what’s in it for them? These are people to whom Tim Cook presumably didn’t donate $1 million to try to gain influence. I mean, I’m not aware of all the people Cook’s donated $1 million to, but I suspect these were not among them.
Oh, am I still mad about that? Yes, I’m still mad about that.
Well, life of Riley, I guess! Dumb luck for Apple that the judges of the U.S. Court of International Trade showed up for work!
It’s almost like investing in the system is actually a better thing to do than, you know, bribing mercurial would-be despots.
Almost.
Before Mr. Trump took office, no president had sought to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law, to impose tariffs on other nations. The law, which primarily concerns trade embargoes and sanctions, does not even mention tariffs.
But Mr. Trump adopted a novel interpretation of its powers…
He made it up, New York Times. He made it up. You can just write that.
Who are these liberal firebrands who would prevent our nation from becoming the mighty working force of exhausted, underpaid screw-turners it begs to become?
“It may be a very dandy plan, but it has to meet the statute,” replied Senior Judge Jane A. Restani, who was nominated to the trade court by President Ronald Reagan.
What’s the one word there that tells you that judge definitely was nominated by Reagan?
Editor: “You sure this judge was nominated by Reagan?”
Writer: [stabs finger at the word “dandy”]
Editor: “Ah. Yes. Very well, then.”
The Trump administration is appealing the ruling, of course, and will likely try to do anything it can to get its way, within the bounds of law or otherwise. It remains to be seen if Tim Cook will turn up the volume (read: “dollar signs”) on his policy of appeasement or maybe try something else.
[John Moltz is a Six Colors contributor. You can find him on Mastodon at Mastodon.social/@moltz and he sells items with references you might get on Cotton Bureau.]