End of the line for OS X? All hail MacOS!
Apple could be about to rebrand its Mac operating software as MacOS, signalling an end to the OS X generation and ushering in a next generation OS for Macs.
Evidence has emerged that Apple is planning to rename its OS X desktop operating system MacOS in keeping with its overall branding strategy for software and devices.
Reports circulated last night after a landing page was published by Apple detailing some of its environmental initiatives.
Astute readers spotted a reference to the Mac’s operating system as MacOS not OS X.
The page has since been tweaked to read OS X.
This hasn’t abated the furore among keen Apple watchers who expect Apple to announce MacOS as the new name for the Apple desktop/notebook operating system at its WWDC shindig in June.
A reference to MacOS was also spotted by Brazilian site MacMagazine in recent weeks.
Oh captain, my El Capitan
It is also a hat tip to Apple’s origins. Mac OS was the classic operating system for all Mac computers from 1984 until the late 90s.
OS X was the successor to Mac OS 9, which was released in 1999. The X is the Roman numeral for 10, and there have been 12 iterations of the OS X operating system, ranging from Cheetah in 2001 to El Capitan in 2015.
Perhaps renaming the operating system MacOS for all of Apple’s desktop and notebook computers signals the arrival of a new generation (OS XI).
Apple’s smartphone and tablet operating system is called iOS in keeping with branding for its “i” devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod.
The operating system for the company’s Apple Watch ecosystem is called WatchOS.
Apple has strictly avoided the temptation of merging its Mac and iOS platforms into a versatile single environment akin to what Microsoft has done with Windows 10, sticking to its policy of producing hardware products that can stand on their own merit.
Renaming OS X to MacOS will reinforce the Californian technology giant’s commitment to its own brand of personal computing.
Main Mac image via Shutterstock
