Mac operating systems

"Mac OS" redirects here. For the now classic OS, formerly named that way, see classic Mac OS.
For a list of all Apple operating systems, see List of Apple operating systems.

Mac operating systems were developed by Apple Inc. in a succession of two major series.

In 1984, Apple debuted the operating system that is now known as the classic Mac OS with its release of the original Macintosh System Software. The system, rebranded Mac OS in 1997, was pre-installed on every Macintosh until 2002 and offered on Macintosh clones shortly in the 1990s. It was noted for its ease of use, and also criticized for its lack of modern technologies compared to its competitors.[1][2]

The current Mac operating system is macOS, originally named Mac OS X until 2012 and then OS X until 2016.[3] It was developed between 1997 and 2001 after Apple's purchase of NeXT. It brought an entirely new architecture based on NeXTSTEP, a Unix system, that eliminated many of the technical challenges that the classic Mac OS faced, such as problems with memory management. The current macOS is pre-installed with every Mac and receives a major update annually.[4] It is the basis of Apple's current system software for its other devices – iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.[5]

Prior to the introduction of Mac OS X, Apple experimented with several other concepts, releasing different products designed to bring the Macintosh interface or applications to Unix-like systems or vice versa, A/UX, MAE, and MkLinux. Apple's effort to expand upon and develop a replacement for its classic Mac OS in the 1990s led to a few cancelled projects, code named Star Trek, Taligent, and Copland.

Although the classic Mac OS and macOS (Mac OS X) have different architectures, they share a common set of GUI principles, including a menu bar across the top of the screen; the Finder shell, featuring a desktop metaphor that represents files and applications using icons and relates concepts like directories and file deletion to real-world objects like folders and a trash can; and overlapping windows for multitasking.

Before the arrival of the Macintosh in 1984, Apple's history of operating systems began with its Apple II computers in 1977, which run Apple DOS, ProDOS, and GS/OS; the Apple III in 1980 runs Apple SOS; and the Lisa in 1983 which runs Lisa OS and later MacWorks XL, a Macintosh emulator. Apple developed the Newton OS for its Newton personal digital assistant from 1993 to 1997.

Apple launched several new operating systems based on the core of macOS, including iOS in 2007 for its iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch mobile devices and in 2017 for its HomePod smart speakers; watchOS in 2015 for the Apple Watch; and tvOS in 2015 for the Apple TV set-top box.

  1. ^ Gruber, John (January 21, 2009). "Three things OS X could learn from the Classic Mac OS". Macworld. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  2. ^ Hertzfeld, Andy. "The Original Macintosh: Mea Culpa". folklore.org. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  3. ^ Siracusa, John (March 24, 2006). "Five years of Mac OS X". Ars Technica. Condé Nast Digital. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2009. Even Steve Jobs still says "ecks" instead of "ten" sometimes.
  4. ^ Gruber, John. "Mountain Lion". Daring Fireball. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  5. ^ Honan, Matthew (January 9, 2007). "Apple unveils iPhone". Macworld. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved January 16, 2010.