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Pick up your favorite drink right now and pour it on the ground: OS X is dead. But macOS 11 lives, and its name is Big Sur.
Yep, so at last nightβs WWDC, Apple all but confirmed the end of OS X and with it the 10.XX numbering system weβve all been so accustomed to. In its place, we have a brand new version of an Apple desktop operating system β the first time weβve had something like this in almost 20 years.
In this piece, weβre going to look at the evolution of OS X, its role in Appleβs computing history, and how macOS 11 is likely to shuffle a whole lot of stuff up.
But do you want to find more out about Big Sur specifically? Its features? And design? Well, head here.
Everyone else, strap in.
Letβs start with what happened yesterday. During the keynote itself, Apple revealed that Big Sur wasnβt macOS 10.16 as many people expected. Instead, itβs a totally new version, something that can be seen in this screen grab:
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I had my head down writing throughout the presentation (what can I say? Iβm a professional), but it was something I caught in my reading afterwards. Specifically, by this Reddit thread. So props to you, people.
This led me down a rabbit hole of exploring the operating system that macOS 11 will replace: the famed OS X.
A brief history of OS X
OS X was launched to the public in 2001. This marks a nice dividing line between old and modern Apple.
The first few years of OS X saw Apple move from its previous pattern of unstructured, flaky computer updates, to what amounted to a steady and consistent stream of new operating systems.
In other words, everything at Apple got a lot more legit. And professional (my word of the day).
Anyway, the beginning of the OS X period were the βBig Catβ years. This started with 10.0 βCheetahβ in 2001, through 10.5 βLeopardβ in 2007, and wrapped up with 10.8 βMountain Lionβ in 2012.
Throughout this βBig Catβ period, Mac computers underwent a seismic evolution that still forms the basis of the machines today. That includes the introduction of iTunes (RIP), Garageband, Safari, and the App Store. All things we take for granted now, but were hugely influential.
OS X also spanned the shift from Power PC processors to Intel, something that began in 2005. And, interestingly, an issue thatβll be at the center of macOS 11 and Big Sur, with the company about to start a shift to its own ARM-powered chips β something you can read more about here.
But letβs get back to those βBig Catβ years.
It was in this time β specifically with the release of 10.4 βTigerβ β that Appleβs OS X had some of its most famous βvictoriesβ over Windows and captured the publicβs imagination, positioning its machines as genuine competitors to Microsoft.
I mean, who can forget the famous leaked emails of Microsoft executives in awe of 10.4βs search speed and video conference abilities?
Glorious days to be an Apple fan, for sure.
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At the end of the βBig Catβ years, there was another interesting change.
Iβve been an Apple user for a long time and Iβd completely forgotten that for much of OS Xβs life, I had to pay to upgrade. Yep, each of the OS X βBig Catβ releases forced me to reach in your wallet and actually fork over some cash.
This changed with the release of the βLandmarksβ versions of OS X. Specifically, βMavericks.β From its release in 2013, Apple abandoned the premium model of operating system updates and began to roll them out free of charge instead, something itβs expected to continue with macOS 11.
At least, it better continue with this. Letβs not tarnish the wonderful name of OS X, now.
The rebrand: from OS X to macOS
One of the interesting (okay, maybe thatβs a stretch, but bear with me) parts of OS Xβs evolution was its rebranding.
Back in 2016 β and with the launch of 10.13 βHigh Sierraβ β Apple abandoned the OS X moniker and began referring to its desktop operating system simply as macOS. The reason? To bring it inline with iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and probably some other words Apple slammed βOSβ on.
But, itβs important to note that this didnβt change OS X in any meaningful way, it was just a new way of referring to it. And itβs an important thing to remember.
Because thereβs no big name or branding change associated with macOS 11, it can be easy to think the version changing isnβt a big deal. But it is.
Why you should care about macOS 11
Weβre so used to numbers of things rising (we get a new numbered iPhone every year for example) that itβs easy to forget macOS isnβt like that. In fact, many people were under the impression itβd just keep ticking up until we got to something like 10.884839.
The fact Apple chose to actually make Big Sur the first macOS 11 version and kill OS X means we should really pay close attention. But what does this actually mean? Why has Apple made this decision?
In my mind, there are two main reasons.
The first weβve already mentioned: the move to Apple-created ARM chips. One assumes the company will be able to make an even more efficient and powerful operating system now it has more control over the hardware, and macOS 11 and its future variants should be designed with this in mind.
While thatβs all well and good, I believe thereβs a bigger reason: bringing Appleβs operating systems ever closer together.
I wrote about this last night during WWDC, but one of the things that really grabbed me about macOS 11 βBig Surβ was just how similar it is to iPadOS and iOS.
Appleβs mobile devices have been using the companyβs own chips for some time, and it makes sense thereβll be similarities between these and Apple Silicon, the name the company has given to its new chips. And you can see Apple planning for this already.
Itβs not just the introduction of the iOS-looking Control Center, Notification Center, and Widgets (which all point in this direction anyway) on macOS 11:
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No, arguably the biggest sign of Appleβs mobile and desktop operating systems smushing together is the fact that computers with Apple Silicon chips will be able to natively run iPad apps.
This is huge.
Obviously it gives developers a chance to make a lot more money, but itβs the workflow shift that could truly change things. Although there are apps that sync across multiple devices (like Evernote, for example), there are many that sit solely on the iPad.
If Apple manages this correctly, its hardware ecosystem could become a seamless work and life tool, allowing people to switch across devices with ease, picking up wherever they left off.
Apple changing the version naming system signals that weβre entering a new era: one thatβs focused on bridging divides between Appleβs hardware and attempting to usher its users into a new way of operating. Is that a good or bad thing? Well, itβs simply too early to tell.
One thingβs for certain though: if youβre pissed off about Apple tying you into an ecosystem, youβre not going to like this change one bit.
Ultimately, Iβm sad that OS Xβs days have finally come to an end, but at least the future we have with macOS 11 looks intriguing.
macOS is dead, long live macOS!
For more Apple news from WWDC 2020, check out our event page here.
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