Is Apple stuck with X?

By TruckWEB
in Apple (macOS)

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Grand Master

TruckWEB

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Posted

I was wondering, is Apple stuck with Mac OS X? The letter X does mean 10 in Roman numerals, and we are now at 10.6.1 but how long will this last?

Going back in time, by release date, Apple never staid that long on the same "number" :

Mac System 6 - Released in April 1988, with 6.0.8 released in April 1991

Mac System 7 - May 13, 1991 with 7.6 released in 1997

Mac OS 8 - July 26, 1997 with 8.6 released May 10, 1999

Mac OS 9 - October 23, 1999 with 9.2.2 released in December 2001

Mac OS X - March 24, 2001 with release 10.6 released August 28 2009

It's been 8 years with X, longer than System 7.... But look how fast the pace was with OS 8, 9, X....

Is X a lucky letter/number for Apple? How long will they stay with it? Surely they will have to skip to something new after 10.9 ...?

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cpressland2

Posted
Posted

Well, what it comes down to is OS X already works fine, so why change it's underlaying system?

Microsoft change the way Windows works every now and then and you've suddenly got massive compatibility issues. OS X remains more or less the same and thus fewer problems.

Proficient

Hendrick

Posted
Posted

OSX was a complete rewrite of the whole OS when it was released (if I'm correct). I don't expect them to get off of X till another complete rewrite. But then again, like TruckWEB, it has become a brand. It's OSX.

I read somewhere, and I have to agree, the last name in the animal series really should be Lion, as it's the King of the Jungle.

Grand Master

TruckWEB

Posted
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Well, what it comes down to is OS X already works fine, so why change it's underlaying system?

Microsoft change the way Windows works every now and then and you've suddenly got massive compatibility issues. OS X remains more or less the same and thus fewer problems.

I'm not talking about feature or evolution of the OS, I'm just talking about brand name or software version. Apple is stuck with "X" since 2001, 8 years ago. Is "X" now a brand name? Considering that Apple seems to think that 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.x are all Major release (Like Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7). Those point release are not service pack (like 10.6.1 was).

If "X" became a brand name, that means we could endup with Mac OS X version 11, and it no longer means "10".

Experienced

Peter Griffin

Posted
Posted
Before Mac OS X, the number used to mean something, like a major release. Now it's like a brand, it does not mean anything.

We will have Apple Mac OS X, version 11.0

I agree, just branding to stick with a known name for their OS. The number associated is mainly for us tech folks to keep up with, and the average consumer will know the operating systems by Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, etc. I think having a techincal name, and having a "fun" name is a good idea to keep the interest of consumers....Technical name marketed to Technicians and Businesses, fun name marketed to the average end users. Don't get me wrong, I hate Apple, but I think what they do with naming conventions is a good idea.

Grand Master

PyX

Posted
Posted
Is Apple stuck with X?

Talk about asking questions for nothing...

What's the difference if 10.1 were in fact 11, 10.2 were 12, 10.3 were 13, 10.4 were 14, 10.5 were 15, and 10.6 were 16? Would it really change something if Snow Leopard was Mac OS 16 to you?

It's just a regular naming scheme, get over it.

Grand Master

Quillz

Posted
Posted
Before Mac OS X, the number used to mean something, like a major release. Now it's like a brand, it does not mean anything.

We will have Apple Mac OS X, version 11.0

I agree. "Mac OS X" is the name of the platform. It's the next-generation platform after the original "Mac OS."

As usual, version numbers really don't mean much of anything. Think of Mac OS X 10.6 as "Mac OS X, Version 6," because that's what it is. The "X 10.x" is redundant.

Veteran

Phantom Helix

Posted
Posted

Well, on the "major underlying platform" discussion, I think eventually a brand new platform will someday be created, when I have no clue.

This article over at TUAW is a pretty good read to get your imagination going though, so check it out

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/15/is-the-futu...mac-the-iphone/

Possibly just a name change from "Mac" OS to "Apple OS X" v. 11 ?? meh, just a random thought

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