Since the release of System 1 in January 1984, Apple has played an integral role in designing and implementing the graphical user interface (GUI) as we know it.
“The latest version of Parallels, the popular Windows virtualization tool for Mac OS X, almost feels like its trolling Apple.” Engadget “The software has been iterating over a decade and now makes Windows feel like part of the macOS.
With the announcement of OS X Mountain Lion this week, Apple is continuing the process it started with Lion by streamlining the connection between the Mac and iOS.
We wanted to take a look at some of the biggest changes in the history of the Mac Operating System over the last 28 years. Looking back, I can't help but be struck by how many elements of the original Macintosh OS are still there more than 30 years after the project started taking shape.
It's a testament to the work of Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld, Bud Tribble and the other members of the original Macintosh team that so many aspects from System 1 have become integral to personal computing as we know it today.
Explore the world of Mac. Check out MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, and more. Visit the Apple site to learn, buy, and get support. MacStories - It’s hard to believe that it’s been two decades since Mac OS X was released. I wasn’t a Mac user in 2001, but as a tech fan, I followed the release of OS X and the later switch to Intel closely, which was what finally convinced me to buy my first iMac. Today, with Mac OS X gone and Intel chipsets. Today, with Mac OS X gone and Intel chipsets not far behind, I thought it would be fun to look back at OS X and the transition to it compared to the recent switch to macOS 11 Big Sur. I started by watching Steve Jobs’ introduction of Mac OS X at Macworld Expo in 2000, which was a perilous time for the Mac. Mac OS was developed to run the Apple Macintosh computer system. Apple computers were introduced in 1984, and Mac OS was the first commercially successful computer to use a GUI and was likely what prompted Microsoft to develop Windows. Early versions of this operating system were known simply as ‘System’ and ‘Finder’.
There are a few phases in the evolution of the Mac OS that are of particular note. System 7 was the longest-running release for Apple (until OS X); it shipped with all Macintosh machines from 1991 to 1997. If you're in your mid-to-late 20s and used a Mac in elementary or middle school, chances are it was running some iteration of System 7.
One of the many challenges Apple faced in the 1990s was figuring out a new operating system strategy. As revolutionary as the original Mac OS work was, by 1994 it was starting to look stagnant and stale. This was especially true after the first release of Windows NT in 1993, which cemented Microsoft's place in the corporate and enterprise space.
After the Copland project was cancelled in 1996, Apple was left to search for an operating system it could acquire. That led to the purchase of NeXT and its NeXTSTEP operating system.
Not only would NeXT technology serve as the foundation for the future of Apple as it is known today (OS X and iOS are direct descendants of NeXTSTEP), it was responsible for bringing Steve Jobs back to Apple.
It would end up taking ten years from the beginning of the search for a next-generation Mac OS. But the hunt finally reached its quarry with the release of Mac OS X in 2001. But it would take until Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) before the system was really able to hold its own.
Today (sei) Mac Os Catalina
Over the last decade, OS X has evolved into a powerful desktop and server platform — while also serving as the core for iOS. With OS X Mountain Lion, Apple is bringing more of the elements and features of its mobile OS to the desktop.
Vintage computer fans who want to take a look at more screenshots of classic Mac OS versions should check out Marcin Wichary's GUIdebook Gallery and Nathan Lineback's collection of GUI history.
Today (sei) Mac Os X
Gallery created by Chelsea Stark