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Should Apple ditch the codenames from macOS?
- Thread starter WebHead
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MacGizmo
macrumors 68040
I'm assuming you're referring to the marketing name, not the codename. The marketing name for macOS 26 is Tahoe, but the codename was "Cheer."
In fact, only 4 OS versions in the OSX era have actually used their codenames as a full release marketing name (Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar and Snow Leopard).
Here's the list of the marketing names and their respective internal codenames:
*List copy/pasted from here for expediency... if you're interested, check out the codenames of Apple Watch way down at the bottom.
In fact, only 4 OS versions in the OSX era have actually used their codenames as a full release marketing name (Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar and Snow Leopard).
Here's the list of the marketing names and their respective internal codenames:
- Mac OS X: Cyan, Siam
- Mac OS X Developer Preview 3 – Bunsen
- Mac OS X Developer Preview 4 — Gonzo
- Mac OS X Public Beta — Kodiak
- Mac OS X Public Release 1 — Hera
- Mac OS X Public Release 2 — Beaker
- Mac OS X 10.0 — Cheetah
- Mac OS X 10.1 — Puma
- Mac OS X 10.2 — Jaguar
- Mac OS X 10.2.1 — Red
- Mac OS X 10.2.2 — Blue
- Mac OS X 10.2.3 — Green
- Mac OS X 10.2.4 — Pink
- Mac OS X 10.2.7 — Blackrider, Smeagol
- Mac OS X 10.3 Panther — Pinot
- Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger — Merlot
- Mac OS X 10.4.1 Tiger — Atlanta
- Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger (Intel version) — Chardonnay
- Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard — Chablis
- Mac OS X 10.6 – Snow Leopard
- Mac OS X 10.7 Lion — Barolo
- OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion — Zinfandel
- OS X 10.9 Mavericks — Cabernet
- OS X 10.10 Yosemite — Syrah
- OS X 10.11 El Capitan — Gala
- macOS 10.12 Sierra — Fuji
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra — Lobo
- macOS 10.14 Mojave — Liberty
- macOS 10.15 Catalina — Jazz
- macOS 11.0 Big Sur — GoldenGate
- macOS 12.0 Monterey — Star
- macOS 13.0 Ventura — Rome
- macOS 14.0 Sonoma — Sunburst
- macOS 15.0 Sequoia — Glow
- macOS 26.0 Tahoe — Cheer
*List copy/pasted from here for expediency... if you're interested, check out the codenames of Apple Watch way down at the bottom.
MacGizmo
macrumors 68040
They release the OS in September (or very early in October), leaving only 3 months of the year where the date is wrong. Doing it the way you're saying would make it wrong for 9 months of the year.
The only way to avoid the problem would be to release the OS' every January 1st. Or they could pull a Microsoft and keep the release year in the name for several years so the marketing team can take an extended multi-year sabbatical. 😆
aperfectcircle
macrumors 6502a
I like the names, even if a few have been a bit meh. Might be time for a new theme, California place names have had a good run.
Yes, thank you, I realise the internal codenames are different but still prefer that term.
MacGizmo
macrumors 68040
Agreed. They were nice for a while, but they're getting tired, as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't mind if they started a run of astrology-related names, or (selfishly for me) dog breeds. 😛
What Apple should do is merge their entire OS stack into one single 'AppleOS' that happens to run on a variety of different devices. We're at the point now where a Mac can run iPhone and iPad apps, they all have the same aesthetic and the same icons. Apple having to repeat themselves at WWDC every year with each device is getting silly. You present all the core features and then go into each device in depth with its exclusives.
Customers don't really care what their OS is called or pay much attention. They'll just blindly install updates or never update at all because of an anecdote from a friend. Yes, this is also how Android works as well as Windows when it was on a variety of devices.
Customers don't really care what their OS is called or pay much attention. They'll just blindly install updates or never update at all because of an anecdote from a friend. Yes, this is also how Android works as well as Windows when it was on a variety of devices.