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Operating Systems

Apple OS X is now MacOS

After 15 years as the operating system that makes a Mac a Mac, Apple has rebranded its desktop platform to match its mobile, TV and wearable OS naming.

Now playing: Watch this: OS X gets a new name, and new features galore
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It was March 2001 when Apple ushered in its new desktop operating system, Mac OS X 10.0. Since then, OS X has become a big part of the company's brand identity, as have the individual release names such as Cheetah, Mountain Lion, Mavericks and Yosemite.

But times change, and now Apple is probably just as well-known -- if not more known -- for its mobile operating system, iOS, than its desktop OS. So it seems for the sake of consistency, Apple announced at WWDC 2016 that its computer operating system will now be called MacOS.

That naming follows the path set with WatchOS and TVOS operating systems for the Apple Watch and Apple TV, respectively, and iOS for the iPhone and iPad.

Apple is sticking with major California landmarks for the release names though: MacOS 10.12 is called Sierra.

At least now people can stop debating how to pronounce the "X."

See also
WWDC 2018
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