Apple has been making computers for several decades at this point, and it’s been making operating systems for those computers for just as long. From the first graphical user interfaces of 1984 to macOS Monterey, the history of Mac operating systems is long and varied.
Reading this history written out is a great way to see how far we’ve come with computers, and how much Apple has grown as a company. We’ve outlined this history below, and we hope reading it helps you appreciate that growth the way it did for us!
Pre-Macintosh Operating Systems
The Apple I, Apple’s first computer, didn’t actually have an operating system. It could save programs to cassette tapes, but it was the Apple II that had an internal disk operating system that could organize, read, and write on floppy disks.
The first of these systems was Apple DOS, and its successor was Apple ProDOS (also known as ProDOS 8 and ProDOS 16 when updated).
The first non-disk operating system by Apple was GS/OS. GS/OS had Finder built into it, and could support multiple on-disk file systems.
The Apple III’s OS was Apple SOS, and the Apple Lisa used Lisa OS. Steve Wozniak called Apple SOS “the finest operating system on any microcomputer ever,” and Lisa OS had protected memory. But the OSs to come would be much more impactful down the line.
Classic Mac OS
The Macintosh computer was released in 1984 with an OS known as Macintosh System Software, or System 1. System 1 helped popularize graphical user interfaces, where people clicked on icons instead of typing in code to use their computer.
System 1 introduced the menu bar to Apple computers, along with “desk accessory” applications like the Calculator and Alarm Clock. System 2 was released in 1985, and added support for AppleTalk networking protocols. System 3 and System 4 were released in 1986 and 1987 and allowed Macintosh computers to work with more external devices.
In late 1987, System Software 5 finally allowed Mac users to run more than one application at a time, which System Software 6 improved upon in 1988.
Big changes came when System 7 arrived in 1991. It had virtual memory support, built-in cooperative multitasking, and added aliases. It also added new applications and it changed the user interface quite a bit.
You can emulate System 7 on your current Mac if you’re curious about it.
The naming system of Mac OS changed an the update to System 7. This update was called Mac OS 7.6, and the “Mac OS” naming trend would continue into Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9 in 1997 and 1999.
Mac OS 8 wasn’t very different from 7—it was named 8 to terminate third-party manufacturers’ licenses to System 7 and stop the manufacturing of Mac clones. It did add HFS+ and the ability to clone files in the background at least.
Mac OS 9 improved wireless networking support, and introduced Remote Networking, on-the-fly file encryption, and an early version of multi-user support.
Mac OS 9 ended the era of “classic” Mac OS, passing features along to Mac OS X (X being the Roman numeral for 10), and the modern macOS.
Mac OS X and Modern macOS
To talk about this era of OSs, it’s easiest to go version by version in order and talk about their highlights.
Mac OS X Public Beta Kodiak (2000)
Released in 2000, Kodiak was sold to users so Apple could get feedback on the new OS format. The Beta stopped working once Cheetah hit the market.
Mac OS X 10.0, Cheetah (2001)
Despite its name, Cheetah was a slow OS, and didn’t come with a lot of applications. Still, as bugs were corrected, it became a solid base for the new Mac OS X line.
Mac OS X 10.1, Puma (2001)
Puma, released 6 months after Cheetah, added in missing features from 10.0 like DVD playback.
A few months after Puma came out, Apple announced Mac OS X would become the default OS for its computers. Upgrading from Classic Mac OSs cost users money at this time, but at least upgrading from Cheetah to Puma was free.
Mac OS X 10.2, Jaguar (2002)
Jaguar had better performance than its predecessors and better compositing graphics, allowing iChat and Address Book to work on Macs.
The “Happy Mac” face was retired in this update, after 18 years. Going forward, users would see the Apple logo when they turned on their Mac instead.
Mac OS X 10.3, Panther (2003)
Panther added in Safari and FileVault, allowed faster user switching, and included a Finder update. It also added a brushed-metal look to the interface, influencing future design choices for a while.
Mac OS X 10.4, Tiger (2005)
Tiger could only operate on Macs with a built-in FireWire port. Panther had not worked on the Power Macintosh and the PowerBook; this meant even more Apple computers were losing OS support.
Tiger added Spotlight, Dashboard, Smart Folders, Automator, and VoiceOver though, and updated Safari, Quicktime, and Mail. As Apple started building Intel-based Macs, Tiger functioned on these new devices the way it did on existing PowerPC Macs.
Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard (2007)
A large update, Leopard could work on PowerPC and Intel Macs, but it needed a G4 processor with a minimum clock rate of 867MHz and at least 512MB of RAM to install and function. It was the last OS to support PowerPC architecture.
Apple’s Time Machine backup software, Spaces, and Boot Camp came pre-installed in Leopard, along with support for 64-bit applications. New security features and yet another new look rounded out the OS.
Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard (2009)
Snow Leopard was the last OS available on disc. Future updates were installed via the Mac App Store, which was introduced in Mac OS X 10.6.6.
Snow Leopard didn’t change much appearance-wise, but it seriously sped up Finder, Safari, and Time Machine backups, and took up less disk space that previous OSs when fully installed.
Mac OS X 10.7, Lion (2011)
More multi-touch gestures became usable in Lion, including ones that let you quickly access the newly-installed app navigator called Launchpad.
Lion also introduced Mission Control, a unifier of many earlier apps, and let apps open in the same state they were in when they were closed.
Mac OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion (2012)
Mountain Lion was deeply influenced by updates in iOS. The Game Center and Notification Center were added to Mac, along with the Reminders, Notes, and Messages apps.
Apps like iCal updated to Calendar, following iOS updates. All of this was joined by more app syncing between iOS and Mac devices too.
Mac OS X 10.9, Mavericks (2013)
Perhaps finally out of big cats, Apple shifted its OS naming convention to Californian locations with Mavericks.
Mavericks improved with battery life and added even more iOS apps to Mac, like iBooks and Apple Maps, with more iCloud integration, too.
This OS update was totally free, as all Mac OS updates and upgrades are to this day.
Mac OS X 10.10, Yosemite (2014)
With the Continuity and Handoff features, Yosemite saw even more integration between iOS and Mac devices. Users could now answer calls and texts and edit Pages and Numbers documents on whichever Apple device they wanted.
iPhoto and Aperture combined into the Photos app, matching the iOS Photos app, as Yosemite’s graphics matched up with iOS 7’s graphics too.
Mac OS X 10.11, El Capitan (2015)
El Capitan refined and improved features rather than adding new ones. Some examples of this were the addition of public transport options in Apple Maps and the Notes app getting an updated UI.
macOS 10.12, Sierra (2016)
Mac OS X was officially renamed macOS with the Sierra update. Sierra saw Siri and Apple Pay come to Macs, along with iCloud improvements that allowed more file access between Macs with the same Apple ID.
macOS 10.13, High Sierra (2017)
With High Sierra, Macs could now support HEVC video and more forms of VR. Many applications were updated, and Apple shifted Macs to Apple File System (APFS) while also introducing the Metal 2 API.
macOS 10.14, Mojave (2018)
Dark mode and Dynamic Desktop arrived with Mojave, allowing the graphics of Macs to shift depending on the time of day. Stacks for desktop organization were also introduced here.
macOS 10.15, Catalina (2019)
Catalina split iTunes into the Music, Podcasts, and TV apps, and redesigned apps like Books and Find My. It also introduced Sidecar, allowing users to use their iPads as second screens or graphics tablets with their Macs.
macOS 11, Big Sur (2020)
Support for 32-bit apps ceased when macOS updated to Big Sur, making some older applications no longer useable, or forcing users to update to later versions of apps.
It also finally changed the version number of macOS from 10 to 11, a change that seems to be continuing.
macOS 12, Monterey (2021)
Monterey includes tons of new features, like SharePlay and Universal Control, and it’s bringing Shortcuts to Mac. The beta was released in July 2021, and it seems to be uniting iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices more than ever.
So Many macOS Updates, So Little Time
Apple computers have seen tons of different operating system versions over the years. Their many shifts and developments reflect the state of computers at the time they were made, and show where things might shift in the future.
We hope you found his jaunt through history illuminating, and that like us, you’re a bit in awe at how far Macs and computers have come in just a few decades.