If we take into account that the launch of iOS 18 marked a change in Apple’s traditional strategyemphasizing a scalable release which distributes its main functions (such as those of Apple Intelligence) in several versions (18.1, 18.2 and with plans for 18.3 and 18.4), Maybe with iOS 19 things will go even further. While this strategy has allowed each update to draw attention and highlight new features, it has also had a significant cost: more delays for the firm’s future operating system.
And today, the software developers who would normally have already started working on iOS 19really at the moment they are being forced to work on iOS 18 updates (and their errors), that is, with projects related to current releases, and not future ones.
Watch out, Apple
According to Mark Gurman, this has already affected the development of iOS 19causing delays in the planning and progress of its main functions. Apple right now is focused on the news that will come to compatible iPhone models through iOS 18.4, which should be released in April, which causes a lack of resources that would normally be available to work on the next operating system. This situation could lead to two situations.
On the one hand, that in September or October of next year we will receive a more limited version of iOS 19 or less ambitious, breaking with Apple’s tradition of delivering major innovations every year. On the other hand, that the launch of The brand’s future operating system will be delayed much more than expected, to the despair of all fans of the Cupertino firm.
Ultimately, it is a problem that reminds of the long Android challengewhere each new version of the operating system takes time to reach the majority of user devices due, above all, to the fragmentation of the ecosystem, as equipment manufacturers and network operators have to adapt and adopt each update. However, Apple, with its controlled ecosystem, has always managed to avoid this problem by releasing updates at the same time for all its compatible devices.
What happens is that the new approach of staggered versions may cause Apple to jeopardize its competitive advantage in this regard by not distributing efforts as before. If the iOS 19 releases are delayed or released after too long, users may experience a similar feeling to Android users: wait months for the latest features. We hope that is not the case.
