Beyond Mac OS X

[Caezar]

Mac OS X has been around for 8 years already. Just out of curiosity, I was wondering if Apple already started to work on an entirely new OS? If so, what might it be like?

 

[t0mat0]

Mac OS X has been around for 8 years already. Just out of curiosity, I was wondering if Apple already started to work on an entirely new OS? If so, what might it be like?

How different do you want? You've already got a new one on the iPhone and Touch...

 

[flopticalcube]

The core of OSX has been around since the late 1980's. Some of that has been around since the early 1970's.

 

[Apple iKid]

I don't think we will see a jump to a completely different OS anytime soon.

 

[WPB2]

I don't see OS XI coming anytime soon.

How many OS X's will apple have.

Do you think there will be OS X (10.11... 10.12... 10.13...?)

 

[BobZune]

"Those who do not understand UNIX are condemned to reinvent it -- badly" (Henry Spencer). Operating systems need to evolve, so don't expect something revolutionary - every time there is an ALL new OS, even if it is well designed, it takes years or decades to get most of the bugs out. OS X is built on Unix (and other bits).

You an expect the User Interface to change and evolve much faster, but the underlying OS *should* evolve slowly.

 

[themoonisdown09]

Phil Schiller said (in the keynote that first introduced OS 10.0 in 2001) that OS X will be the OS for the next 10-15 years. That would put a major OS change somewhere between 2011-2016. I would think that it would be more towards 2016.

 

[MisterMe]

Phil Schiller said (in the keynote that first introduced OS 10.0 in 2001) that OS X will be the OS for the next 10-15 years. That would put a major OS change somewhere between 2011-2016. I would think that it would be more towards 2016.

I seem to remember his saying that it would be the basis for Apple's operating systems for the next 20 years.

To the OP's question: New operating systems don't just fall out of the sky. The original Mac was based on concepts dating back to the 1960s. If you want to know that the Mac will be like in 20 years, then you need to attend computer science conferences today.

That said, Apple's plans appear to be quite clear. With Leopard, OS X became the first and only consumer OS based on certified UNIX. OS X 10.5 has extended its reach beyond the desktop and laptop to the ear top and the set top. Whatever Apple's calls its OSes for decades to come, they will be based on certified UNIX. As UNIX evolves outside Apple, Apple will adapt to the new standard. Apple will also provide new technologies to the wider UNIX community as it did with zeroconf. It will also take custody of additional UNIX as it did with CUPS.

 

[NT1440]

Tallest Skil has some really interesting theories on this.

Basically, OSX will be around until someone (perhaps Apple yet again) revolutionizes the way we interact with computers and the way they intertwine into our lives.

I'm actually waiting for him to visit this thread, its a good read.

 

[Tallest Skil]

Tallest Skil has some really interesting theories on this.

Thanks for that, I appreciate it.

Steve said... what, I forget when it was, but "Mac OS X will set us up for the next 20 years.", putting OS XI's release right around 2020.

Now, with 10.6 coming out in 2009, that's a little far out in my mind, as I believe they won't go over 10.9, so we could see OS XI before 2020.

Here's an old post of mine from another thread (rife with naysayers). I don't remember the thread, so I can't link to the post itself (I said more, I believe), but I saved the text.

...Something along those lines. Let's extrapolate the future from Apple's current lineup. We'll disregard everything about the design (because it will ALL need to be changed for system-wide multitouch to be feasible) except for the screen right now.

Apple is moving to only glossy screens. As much as people who love matte hate it, they're doing it for a reason. Apple's newest glossy screens aren't like those in the plastic MacBook; they're optical quality glass. Now, what's the iPhone screen? Optical quality glass.

It's a smooth transition on all fronts. You can see the beginnings in almost every aspect of their hardware and software designs now.

The screens are going glass for a reason: eventually we'll be touching them. It's very nice, touching the iPhone's screen. The interface is intuitive, and typing (in landscape mode) is easy, even on such a small screen.

The iPhone is a test. As much as the MacBook Air was a test for the unibody enclosure, the iPhone is a test–Apple's first baby steps–into OS XI.

The "keyboard" in OS XI will be full-size; not a problem when we're dealing with the larger screens of portable and "desktop" computers (the definition of a desktop computer will have to change entirely with Apple's OS XI designs, but that's something for a different post).

Some people complain about the iPhone keyboard not having haptic feedback, but with a full-size keyboard, most if not all of these complaints are gone. We'll see what Apple does; they have a touch-haptic patent under their belt that looks very nice.

The "keyboard" in OS XI will operate much like the keyboards of today in function and much like the keyboard of the iPhone in input style. It will appear in the OS XI interface when needed and not be there when it is not needed.

Such a concept is difficult to imagine, what with the myriad of keyboard combinations one can do throughout the OS X interface right now. But OS XI will do away with the necessity for keyboard combinations. You will be able to do to the GUI of OS XI with your hands everything you can do with a keyboard now and MORE.

I, for one, am very excited for the future of the GUI. It is difficult to pin down exactly what Apple will do in removing the keyboard... but we're already seeing it happen, now aren't we? That trackpad on the new MacBooks... four finger gestures operate Exposé controls, right? Well... now there is no need for the old key presses that would do the same thing...

You see? Apple knows what they're doing. It's a beautiful thing.

Oh, glory me. Look at this. I did the same thing when I explained why Blu-ray won't show up in Macs until 2015. I do apologize for the length, but I feel that it is necessary. You have to cover all the points you can when you argue in favor of something. And, as you can see, I haven't fabricated anything, just extrapolated from what I've seen come out of Cupertino.

I'll think a bit more on OS XI and post again if people want clarification or more info. The above is a teaser of what I'm thinking.

 

[NT1440]

Thanks for that, I appreciate it.

Steve said... what, I forget when it was, but "Mac OS X will set us up for the next 20 years.", putting OS XI's release right around 2020.

Now, with 10.6 coming out in 2009, that's a little far out in my mind, as I believe they won't go over 10.9, so we could see OS XI before 2020.

Here's an old post of mine from another thread (rife with naysayers). I don't remember the thread, so I can't link to the post itself (I said more, I believe), but I saved the text.



I'll think a bit more on OS XI and post again if people want clarification or more info. The above is a teaser of what I'm thinking.

Thats the post ive been looking for!

Thanks Tallest, now don't you have a kitten to save or a robbery to stop?

 

[iMacmatician]

Here's an old post of mine from another thread (rife with naysayers). I don't remember the thread, so I can't link to the post itself (I said more, I believe), but I saved the text.

…

I have similar ideas as you as well as some others. One of them relates to larger displays and another involves some sort of 3D.

I also think that in the next few years the iPhone OS will be moving up rather than the Mac OS X moving down (rumors of "iPhone Pro" and mini-tablet). Extrapolating that to a few more years… I'll think some more on that one.