By John Moltz
June 6, 2025 2:00 PM PT
This Week in Apple: Answer hazy, ask again later
Like in three days. Yes, another WWDC is nigh as Apple gets slapped down by the courts (a-gain). Apple teases us for next week’s operating system reveals and could we see a new one this year?
Nice try
Apple took a big swing and a miss at a fastball low and away, striking out at trying to stay a court order against the company’s anti-steering App Store policy.
“Apple ordered to keep web links in the App Store”
An appeals court rejected Apple’s request to block an order enabling external links.
Well, it was worth asking, wasn’t it?
Mmm, you could make a pretty good case it was not, in terms of developer and customer good will, actually, but who’s counting?
It’s a nice win for developers going into WWDC25, where Apple is expected to announce iOS 26. 25, 26, whatever it takes. Glad they fixed that confusing numbering! Now we just have an off by one situation.
No, it makes perfect sense, really, it’s just like when new cars get released. Which, ironically, was something Apple couldn’t do.
[rimshot]
WWDC Nirvana
Well, here we are again. Entertain us.
Apple is teasing next week’s event as a “Sleek Peek”, featuring an Apple logo reflecting colors rotating across the smooshed-together letters of “WWDC” (the West Virginia Developers Conference really should sue).
Kremlinologist gonna Kremlinology, but what does it all mean?
Sebastiaan de With has some thoughts based on Apple’s tease and just the way things have been trending over the years.
“Physicality: the new age of UI”
Basically, as Jony Ive’s flatworld fades into the annals of history, I hope you like glass and reflections. Seems cool on iOS, less so on the Mac.
While we still don’t know for sure what the new operating systems will look like, we do know what one of them is going to be called.
“macOS Tahoe Name Leaked Ahead of Apple’s WWDC Event Next Week”
One wonders what iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS did to not warrant names. Presumably they know what they did.
One thing Apple would like you to know heading into WWDC is how great the App Store is. It is, quite simply, your savior.
“Apple says its App Store rules have saved users billions”
Amen.
Billions of what, we’re not sure. Could be “unnecessary alternative methods of payment”. Yuck, who wants those?
“Apple touts App Store’s $1.3 trillion ecosystem ahead of WWDC25”
“For more than 90 percent of the billings and sales facilitated by the App Store ecosystem, developers did not pay any commission to Apple,” Apple says.
Apple’s “I conduct many transactions per day and very few of them are extortion!” t-shirt is raising more questions than it answers.
homeOS for the WWDC holidays
Speaking of operating systems (as we do for WWDC), could a new one be on the horizon?
“Apple’s new ‘homeOS’ might debut next week at WWDC”
As discovered by Parker Ortolani, the term ‘HOMEOS’ was submitted for a trademark on April 16, 2025—just a few weeks ago.
“HOMEOS”, of course, being short for “homeostasis” which the New Oxford American Dictionary defines as “the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements”. If ever there was a spot-on definition for the unobtainable goal of home automation, it’s that.
One thing is for sure, homeOS won’t be named after yet another gorgeous place in California. (We see you California! Yes, we do!) It’ll just be another one of those hard-working, unnamed Apple operating systems.
Could this mean that Apple will also introduce its much-rumored HomePad? The device that supposedly will help you control your home which can also be referred to as your pad?
According to Mark Gurman, Apple has no new devices ready to ship, but the Vision Pro was announced at WWDC23 and then not launched until February of 2024. So this definitely possibly maybe means Apple might could announce the HomePad next week.
Or not. They might not, too.
[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.]