This was originally posted 15 years ago. Opinions, facts and reality may have changed.
“Mac OS X is the most important software from Apple since the original Macintosh operating system in 1984 that revolutionised the entire industry.” Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, March 24 2001.
I’m getting old. I still think of the introduction of OS X as a “recent” thing, when it’s been with us for a whole decade now.
Anybody of my age and with a similar industry background probably feels the same.
We remember the days of System 7, Mac OS 8 and – the final version of the ‘classic’ Mac operating system – OS 9. Halcyon days.
Getting the upgrade from System 7 to System 7.5 was a big deal. As was the pile of floppy disks you had to feed, one at a time, into the greedy electronic mouth of your Mac.
In my case, the machine in question was a Performa 630. Teamed with a screen that – at most – was nine inches across, I somehow managed to put together a broadsheet newspaper on. And remember kids, this was cutting edge technology.
My iPhone’s more powerful than that computer was. Hell, my daughter has got crayons with more processing power.
When OS X was introduced 10 years ago, it was a revelation. A revolution. It threw out the entire existing Mac OS and helped Apple claw its way back from the brink of extinction to become – today – the second largest company in the world. Yes, you read that right. At some point this year, the value of Apple will exceed that of oil company Exxon and it will become (by market capitalisation) the largest company in the world.
The original iMac helped kickstart the revival but at the heart of all that Apple has become – from iPod to iPad, iPhone to MacBook Air, Apple TV to Mac Pro – is Mac OS X.
Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard. Each version of OS X has been better known by its nickname that its “official” designation (10.0 to 10.6) and the next iteration – Lion – is due this summer.
When OS X was introduced, Steve Jobs remarked that it would be the foundation of Apple’s operating system strategy for the next twenty years. Which means we’re only half way through the masterplan.But, unless we’re going to see OS X 10.8 Ocelot… I think OS X 11 might be on the horizon soon.
But for now, we’re celebrating OS X. Happy X Birthday.