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OS X in 2016... macOS?

What will the next version of OS X be called?

  • OS X California

    Votes: 24 18.3%

  • macOS 12

    Votes: 30 22.9%

  • macOS California

    Votes: 14 10.7%

  • macOS 12 California

    Votes: 7 5.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 56 42.7%
  • Total voters
    131
B

ButteryScrollin

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 29, 2014
863
1,790
So right now we have:

OS X
iOS
watchOS
tvOS

One of these is not like the others :)

So does OS X continue as OS X or get renamed? Personally, I like macOS 12 or macOS California, but change the numbering to 12.x.

150px-MacOS_original_logo.svg.png


[Substitue 'California' for your preferred landmark branding.]
 
If they wanted to stick with their current naming scheme they need two changes. OS X becomes macOS and iOS becomes mobileOS perhaps? Was thinking phoneOS but I guess thats not great since its used on iPads and touch iPods as well. I wouldn't mind dropping the names to something like that. But thats just my opinion.
 
The current naming is unwieldy, especially if you're one of those weirdos who insists that 'X' = 'ten' rather than 'ex' :)

Personally I've never been much for names, either.

So I'm fully behind 'macOS number'. '12' for continuity? '16' for year? '1' for a clean slate?
 
16Paws said:
I dunno I think the obvious is actually :apple:OS
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I agree that is the obvious answer but than there is no true differentiation of what its for (e.g. watch, tv). Either way I suppose it doesn't really matter to me. Just an interesting thought from original poster. Have wondered when this OS X thing would go away. Seems weird that every other operating system from them has climbed the major version number up but OS X has just stayed X.
 
mojolicious said:
The current naming is unwieldy, especially if you're one of those weirdos who insists that 'X' = 'ten' rather than 'ex' :)

Personally I've never been much for names, either.

So I'm fully behind 'macOS number'. '12' for continuity? '16' for year? '1' for a clean slate?
Click to expand...

If you are old enough, you would understand that the X as 10 makes sense, as it came after System Software 9.

I don't see why you would jump to OS 12, as you would skip OS 11. If I am not mistaken, I believe there was another language called OS10 around at the time of the release of OS X , that was for low level programming in things like Microwave ovens.

I know that is OS "TEN", however I still see it as OS "EX."
 
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mikecwest said:
If you are old enough, you would understand that the X as 10 makes sense, as it came after System Software 9.

I don't see why you would jump to OS 12, as you would skip OS 11. If I am not mistaken, I believe there was another language called OS10 around at the time of the release of OS X , that was for low level programming in things like Microwave ovens.

I know that is OS "TEN", however I still see it as OS "EX."
Click to expand...
I am with you. When I say it out loud or read it to myself its OS Ex but I do know its really 10. Haha. Wonder what changes will make them finally bump that to 11. Can anyone confirm if they have done this minor bump for any other OS previously and stuck with the major number for so long?
 
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I don’t think there ever will be an OS 11. Within ten years OS X and iOS will have converged and Apple will drop one for the other and rename the latter into something new (maybe :apple:OS :D). A new OS would require a major technology development that makes it worthwhile to abandon either iOS or OS X and so far there aren’t that many bottlenecks that the systems couldn’t adapt to.
 
KALLT said:
I don’t think there ever will be an OS 11. Within ten years OS X and iOS will have converged and Apple will drop one for the other and rename the latter into something new (maybe :apple:OS :D). A new OS would require a major technology development that makes it worthwhile to abandon either iOS or OS X and so far there aren’t that many bottlenecks that the systems couldn’t deal with. When the technology outgrows OS X
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I don't necessarily disagree with you here but I thought I read somewhere Tim Cook said OS X and iOS would never merge, not that him saying that is gospel or anything but I believe he did make that statement.
 
iOS makes sense as long as devices running it are called iPad, iPhone and iPod, so I don't see why that would change. The point about OS X becoming macOS is cool though. Someone said Alcatraz would be the name and I love that. macOS Alcatraz. The most secure operating system on Earth!
 
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AtheistP3ace said:
I don't necessarily disagree with you here but I thought I read somewhere Tim Cook said OS X and iOS would never merge, not that him saying that is gospel or anything but I believe he did make that statement.
Click to expand...

Cook is notorious for not divulging anything on future software development and it’s a sensitive issue for Apple’s customers presently. If he really believes that then he probably thinks that at some point a successor system will emerge that makes the merger unnecessary. But the time will come in which iOS has grown to a powerful operating system or the mobile hardware can run OS X. At some point it won’t make much sense to keep them separated and develop both. Even now, many technologies are transplanted from one system to another. There will be a point in which you can barely distinguish both systems internally.
 
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KALLT said:
I don’t think there ever will be an OS 11. Within ten years OS X and iOS will have converged and Apple will drop one for the other and rename the latter into something new (maybe :apple:OS :D). A new OS would require a major technology development that makes it worthwhile to abandon either iOS or OS X and so far there aren’t that many bottlenecks that the systems couldn’t adapt to.
Click to expand...

A desktop OS is becoming less & less important as things move to web/cloud based solutions. Therefore a closer fusion of OS X & iOS is inevitable.
 
It's OS X because it's the 10th generation OS. The core and the base design remained unchanged between 10.0 and 10.11. Changing the naming to 12 or whatever would probably work marketing-wise, but it would break the logic Apple has been following this far.

An OS XI would require a fundamentally new kernel and set of APIs. Apple is already starting to roll out interesting things with Swift. Maybe they have big plans for the next years.
 
I remember when Steve Jobs announced OS X, that this OS will be the foundation for decades to come. I think it still true today which why Apple will keep name the OS... OS 10 or X.
 
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ButteryScrollin said:
OS X
iOS
watchOS
tvOS
Click to expand...

This is by design, though. The initial core operating system development happens in OS X. OS X, as mentioned by others, is the fundamental operating system upon which everything was built. It is the father.

iOS is derived from OS X. watchOS is derived from OS X/iOS. tvOS is derived and built upon OS X. OS X gave birth to each of these systems.

Everything starts on OS X and slowly migrates into iOS, watchOS, tvOS. Calling it macOS would be a departure from this fundamental design and would signify that the core operating systems are no longer interconnected/interrelated.
 
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ButteryScrollin said:
Unlikely. They don't refer to OS X El Capitan in marketing/branding as 10.11, so I doubt they'll call it '10.12'.
Click to expand...

Nobody says that it will be called “10.12”, what they mean is that the next version will just be another major version of OS X. It certainly won’t be called OS X California, but OS X [name relating to California], with the version number 10.12. If they indeed rebrand it, it will likely just be called “macOS” without the number or place name, but that in itself is highly unlikely.
 
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