When does OS X end and OS XI begin?

[MattInOz]

We'll see who's right come 2015 I guess.

They would have been separated before due to resource requirements, and also to enable apple to gradually phase touch into OS X and OS X features into mobile devices as capability of said devices improves.

By 2015 sure Touch vs Keyboard might have become very fuzzy but another divide that ensures strong difference between iOS and OS X will become front and centre*. Their not going to produce a middle ground. Middle grounds lead the sort un-focused mess Apple was in the "Beleaguered" Days.

*The divide is really sitting vs standing which isn't going to change even if both have touch, keyboard, voice it'll always override how you implement those things.

 

[throAU]

^^ oh i agree.

However, I believe we'll end up with iPads, etc that can pair to OS X style interface devices (they kinda already can) to run OS X style apps - on a big screen via Airplay for example), and the iOS sandboxing, etc is already coming to OS X.

The differences between the two platforms are going to narrow to the point where a single OS will be on both devices, providing both interface styles depending on the input device(s) currently in use.

That's how I see it in any case - for most people, the traditional "laptop" or even "desktop" computer is eventually going to go away, and be replaced by something like an iPad (in terms of form factor, with memory/cpu/gpu performance on steroids) that can be used both on the go, and with desktop style peripherals for doing more intensive work when you return to your desk.

Of course there will always be specialized workloads that require something like a Mac Pro, but the vast majority of users simply don't (and in a few years especially, won't) need the horsepower that a non-tablet device provides.

The real "killer app" for this is going to be that users can just work on the single device, when they leave home/work, simply pick up a tablet (wireless connectivity to mouse/keyboard/trackpad/display/etc - maybe unplug the charger if and inductive charging pad isn't available) and leave with all of their apps/data available on the device.

No need to worry about "do i have app X on this?" to continue working, the UI will simply shift to touch/tablet mode and you'll be able to carry on. Your data will automatically save to either iCloud or the corporate equivalent (future apple corporate "private icloud in a box" product) as required.

Maybe my time estimate is off, but I'm pretty sure this is how things are going to end up in the near future. Just as the laptop is killing the desktop, and the desktop killed dumb terminals hanging off a mainframe, the tablet will kill the laptop... it's just a matter of time.

 

[Shepphard]

I personally think it's pretty obvious that Apple wants to phase OS X into iOS and vice versa. OS X got some of the features from the iOS in OS X Lion and will get even more features in OS X Mountain Lion. It's sure that this transition from 2 to 1 operating System is going to be really huge step and won't come anytime soon because iOS and OS X are still really far apart one from another, but still, it would be a logical choice. For the moment, Apple is coding on 2 (3 if you count the OS X Server version) different OS's, so you have 2 different instances for coding, debugging, developing etc. I think it would be much easier just working on one OS for all the devices.

But as I said, it's not going to happen anytime soon, but the transition, if it happens, may happen in 10 years or so... Still a lot of time to spread rumors about it

 

[ADMProducer]

It's not even pronounced Mac OS "Ex". X is the roman numeral for 10, it is pronounced Mac OS 10. Therefore Mac OS XI will be Mac OS 11. Simple, as.

I see no problem in calling it that. But since iPhone OS was renamed iOS, I can see Mac being branded as just Mac OS.

 

[Shepphard]

But since iPhone OS was renamed iOS, I can see Mac being branded as just Mac OS.

Hmm, but doesn't the Developers Build of ML say "OS X"? I think they phased out the "Mac" part, not the "X" part... maybe I'm wrong and it's other way round, but I think it will only read "OS X" in ML and future updates...

Edit: The Title of this Forum is "OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion", while the other start with Mac... so, no "Mac OS" I think

 

[ADMProducer]

Hmm, but doesn't the Developers Build of ML say "OS X"? I think they phased out the "Mac" part, not the "X" part... maybe I'm wrong and it's other way round, but I think it will only read "OS X" in ML and future updates...

No, it will stay the same for ML. But when we move to XI, I think it will be just Mac OS.

 

[Shepphard]

No, it will stay the same for ML. But when we move to XI, I think it will be just Mac OS.

https://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/16/apple-officially-drops-mac-name-from-os-x-mountain-lion/

You sure? This article also gives the Answer to the Thread in some form, meaning that they might put together iOS and OS X

 

[MisterMe]

No, it will stay the same for ML. But when we move to XI, I think it will be just Mac OS.

These discussions tend to be devoid of facts and logic. Even so, it helps to inject facts and logic anyway:

• The operating system commonly called "MacOS 9" is MacOS. There is very little of MacOS in OS X. It would make no sense for Apple to revert to the old name.
• The top marketing feature of MacOS X has been the "X." Since MacOS X 10.0, it has been featured more prominently than the cats. With MacOS X 10.7, the word Mac has been de-emphasized. With OS X 10.8, Mac disappears from the name. The "X" goes on.
• Apple's mobile OS has never had a significant marketing push. Only a tiny fraction of mobile device users have ever purchased it separately. iOS is its third name. When the iPhone was introduced, it was OS X. Apple renamed it iPhone OS for a couple of versions. Now, it is iOS. Of the three names, the one that was featured most prominently was OS X.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I think everyone is in agreement that OS X will live on until there is some fundamental change in the way the OS functions. To the level of change that windows has gone through with the Metro interface. So the real question is how much longer can Apple keep adding to the current implementation of the OS and how could Apple change the way that the OS functions in the future.

Based on the fact that Apple just announced yearly updates to OS X, I think they will continue with small iterative updates for at least a few years, continuing to bring iCloud and iOS style updates to OS X. Oh and Siri.

But that being said, I'm confident that Apple is actively researching the best way to change the OS in a major way. Supposedly Windows 8 has been worked on since before Vista came out 5-6 years ago. So I think we will see some revolutionary changes to the OS in around 4-5 years. Will it be a cohesive hybrid of OS X and iOS? Will it be a completely new way to integrate touch and Mac? Will it remain a completely separate entity from iOS? We can only speculate about these things...

10.8 and iOS6 2012
10.9 and iOS7 2013
10.10 and iOS8 2014
10.11 and iOS9 2015
Time for change. Maybe iOS X?

That's my prediction.

Side Note: Whenever the naming scheme changes I would like for the OS's to be named after birds of prey. peregrine falcon, bald eagle, hawk, osprey, snowy owl, etc.

 

[Pentad]

Oh, brother iOS is Apple's port of its OS for mobile devices. OS X is Apple's port of its OS for general-purpose computers and servers. There is simply no case for unifying iOS with OS X. If there were, then they would be unified now. In fact, they never would have been separated in the first place.

One should check their facts before rolling their eyes...

OS X is an evolution of the technologies that NeXT pioneered with Steve Jobs. It is a UNIX OS with modern features running with the MACH kernel. MacOS 1.0 through 9.x have very little in common with OS X and in many way were crap (fragmented memory problems, co-op multitasking, no memory protection, I could go on...).

iOS (actually iPhoneOS at the beginning) is a derivative of Mac OS X (not a port). Mac OS X is their foundation OS (again, not a port).


If I had to guess I would say that the name OS X will remain. However, I expect iOS to be the dominant focus for their R&D given how much money it has generated for them. They dominate the consumer market so I expect their OS to favor this market.

Cheers!
-P

 

[lotones]

It's not even pronounced Mac OS "Ex". X is the roman numeral for 10, it is pronounced Mac OS 10. Therefore Mac OS XI will be Mac OS 11. Simple, as.

I see no problem in calling it that. But since iPhone OS was renamed iOS, I can see Mac being branded as just Mac OS.

Not just iOS or Mac OS.

Apple OS

One OS to rule them all.

 

[Peace]

IOS is going to be gone pretty soon too.

I can see Apple having one OS for both computer and mobile devices similar to Microsofts new naming scheme of Windows 8.

Soon we will see OSX and OSX mobile.

 

[MisterMe]

...

OS X is an evolution of the technologies that NeXT pioneered with Steve Jobs. It is a UNIX OS with modern features running with the MACH kernel. MacOS 1.0 through 9.x have very little in common with OS X and in many way were crap (fragmented memory problems, co-op multitasking, no memory protection, I could go on...).

...

What in God's name are you rambling on about? Read my Post No. 33--the one just two posts before the incoherent nonsense that is Post No. 35. If you don't understand it the first time, then read it again until you do.

 

[ajvizzgamer101]

I think iOS is OS 11.

 

[Mac32]

After OSX 10.9, Apple could just start to use the name OS X '14/2014 (like what they do with their Apple Works suite), with biannual updates or whatever.
OS X is a mature and well working OS now, but let us not forget the danger that Apple developers starts adding lots of annoying "features" that will actually detract from the previously streamlined user interface (ie. Snow Leopard to Lion) - in the quest for continuing innovation. Still Apple could improve graphics support and Finder.
However, AirPlay is a very useful new feature with 10.8.

 

[MisterMe]

After OSX 10.9, Apple could just start to use the name OS X '14/2014 (like what they do with their Apple Works suite), ...

What are you talking about? The last version of AppleWorks was AppleWorks 6.2.9. This was hardly a novel versioning scheme.

 

[jian]

Steve Jobs said OS X set Apple up for the next 20 years when he introduced OS X, so 9 more years?

 

[kolax]

When Apple announced Mountain Lion, they said they'd start a new yearly cycle on OS X, the same yearly cycle that iOS sees.

Mountain Lion will be the last release under the alias "OS X". From then on, iOS will replace OS X as the name, and will be on the exact same cycle as iOS is now. iOS will run on your Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

However, just because OS X will be called iOS, doesn't mean it'll lose all of its OS X appearance.

iOS 6 won't be a significant upgrade this year, but iOS 7 will. iOS 7 will get rid of the application grid that is the current user interface and introduce likes of widgets and so on. iOS 7 will also be the first release for the Macintosh.

From then on, each iOS release will be yearly and will be released for the Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch at the same time.

iOS 7 will be released summer 2013, and it'll be a huge merge of OS X and iOS in terms of user interface.

 

[MattInOz]

Steve Jobs said OS X set Apple up for the next 20 years when he introduced OS X, so 9 more years?

Then they really need to be working on what comes next...
9 years is not a lot of time to make a new mature OS stable enough for consumer deployment, with a wealth of software ready to go.

 

[pdjudd]

What are you talking about? The last version of AppleWorks was AppleWorks 6.2.9. This was hardly a novel versioning scheme.

I think he is talking about the iWork suite, not the discontented AppleWorks Suite.

 

[throAU]

. It's sure that this transition from 2 to 1 operating System is going to be really huge step and won't come anytime soon because iOS and OS X are still really far apart one from another,

You don't realise just how close the two operating systems are.

The kernel is the same
Many of the core foundation APIs are the same or very similar.

The major differences are in the UI layer, and this is being merged.

iOS started out as OS X-lite, going back to a more complete OS X is not going to be difficult.


The iPhone/iPad emulator actually runs iOS applications using OS X frameworks. There are warnings in the developer documentation about this, as it is actually possible to code an "OS X" iOS application that will work in the emulator, but not on the device due to subtle differences in implementation in the libraries the emulator uses, that are slightly tweaked on iOS.

(i'm a hobbyist "developer" )

 

[MisterMe]

Then they really need to be working on what comes next...
9 years is not a lot of time to make a new mature OS stable enough for consumer deployment, with a wealth of software ready to go.

Only the most narrow-minded person would interpret Steve Jobs's declaration that MacOS X would be the basis of Apple's operating system for the next 20 years as some sort of time limit.

MacOS X is UNIX-based. UNIX has been around for about 40 years with origins going back even earlier. Don't be surprised to see a UNIX-based Apple operating system at the UNIX Centennial.

 

[Zwhaler]

Wouldn't they just call it OS 11 and not OS XI? Even though they stand for the same thing, it went up to OS 9 then OS X, so it could just go back to using regular numbers.

 

[MattInOz]

Only the most narrow-minded person would interpret Steve Jobs's declaration that MacOS X would be the basis of Apple's operating system for the next 20 years as some sort of time limit.

MacOS X is UNIX-based. UNIX has been around for about 40 years with origins going back even earlier. Don't be surprised to see a UNIX-based Apple operating system at the UNIX Centennial.

While it's impressive that Apple has UNIX certification(till August at least) of their own Mash-up* of Mach Kernel and BSD services layer that is no guarantee that those Low levels of OS X will continue to serve well as a base for another few decades of modern OS. Maybe 20 years is an artificial time limit but there will be a time they need to make big significant changes at the low level.

 

[drjsway]

You don't realise just how close the two operating systems are.

The kernel is the same
Many of the core foundation APIs are the same or very similar.

The major differences are in the UI layer, and this is being merged.

iOS started out as OS X-lite, going back to a more complete OS X is not going to be difficult.


The iPhone/iPad emulator actually runs iOS applications using OS X frameworks. There are warnings in the developer documentation about this, as it is actually possible to code an "OS X" iOS application that will work in the emulator, but not on the device due to subtle differences in implementation in the libraries the emulator uses, that are slightly tweaked on iOS.

(i'm a hobbyist "developer" )

This makes a lot of sense. With Windows 8 running on PCs and tablets, Apple can't get away with not merging.