“Apple is running out of big cats,” Brian Caulfield reports for Forbes.
“Ten years ago, Apple introduced the first major release of its OS X operating system, Cheetah,” Caulfield reports. “Since then, all seven new versions of the operating system have been named after big cats.”
“The problem: there are only so many kinds of cats,” Caulfield reports. “Lion — which incorporates a few tricks learned from Apple’s iPad — was released in July. Apple hasn’t said anything, publicly, about the next version of its OS X operating system.”
Caulfield reports, “First they’ll have to come up with a name. That could be hard. All of the animals Apple has used come from Felidae family in the Carnivora order of mammals… There are a lot of other cats left. None of them are particularly intimidating though. The Eurasian Lynx, can weigh as much as 66 pounds. Even less fearsome: the Eurasian Lynx’s North American cousin, the bobcat; the ocelot — the biggest of the dinky Leopardus genus; and felix catus, the domestic cat. Apple hasn’t tapped a third group of Felidae, now extinct, known as the Machairodontinae.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: What’s your OS X name of choice? Take our poll in the left column of the main site.
Mac OS X versions, names/codenames, and release dates:
• Mac OS X 10.7 Lion : July 20, 2011
• Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: August 28, 2009
• Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: October 26, 2007
• Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: April 29, 2005
• Mac OS X 10.3 Panther: October 24, 2003
• Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar: August 24, 2002
• Mac OS X 10.1 Puma: September 25, 2001
• Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah: March 24, 2001
• Mac OS X Public Beta: September 13, 2000.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
… or maybe they will make substantial changes and start afresh, calling it OS 11 ?
… do that? To start with, we’re talking Naming Conventions, here. Not internals. And, as far as naming conventions go … “X” is a huge “win”. Instantly recognizable! What’s the plus side of “XI”? Or would you rather write it “Xi”? Save dialing it up to “11” for a major change in OS internal code structure. Or, when “X” gets some serious bad press that you need to walk away from.
Mac OS 11 will come after 10.9 … it will be called Chilito
Uh, no, it will be called Mac OS 11 Nigel.
no, OS 11 Botvinnik
After 10.9 will be 10.10.
Odd, but common in the tech industry.
Apple took (almost) two years to move from a rather incremental update (Snow Leopard) to a rather major update (Lion). However, when SL came out (August 09), a few months later we already started hearing about the next OS, with rumours confirming the existence of a development build of 10.7 in November of the same year.
We’re now almost five months after Lion hit the App Store. Other than some web traffic logs identifying some browsers as 10.8, no developer build has been reported yet.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lion were the final cat in the OS X world, and the Mac hardware soon transitioned to iOS. Apple has done this transition before and they can do it again. Just build multi-touch Macs (no mouse, optional keyboard), make them ergonomically comfortable and force developers to port their UI to iOS (like 68k to PPC, System 9 to OSX, PPC to Intel, 32bit to 64bit… they’ve been there already, they’ll do it again). Put the mouse in the museum, where it rightfully belongs.
While I do believe that is coming, I don’t think it’s coming just yet. iOS is a fine OS for mobile but it lacks things a full desktop needs. I believe that Apple will continue to make desktops/laptops for a long while yet. Like Steve said, desktops/laptops will be like trucks. Car companies make tons of cars but they still make some trucks.
Nah, with their work to invade the living room (Apple TV, their upcoming HDTV, etc), the next “cat” name should be obvious:
Mac OS X 10.8 House
😀
Yes, you are right. The next release of the Mac’s OS will be a major overhaul. No more big cat names, especially since there are no more good ones left except Cougar (and you can’t follow Lion with Cougar).
However, if Lion has some “legs” and can go another two years with a Leopard-to-Snow-Leopard type of “technical” upgrade, perhaps Apple can use a name that is related to “Lion.”
Since we are now “in the iCloud,” Apple should switch to birds of prey (raptors). Falcon, Hawk, Eagle, Osprey, Harrier, Owl… (and all the sub-species such as “Peregrine Falcon” and “Golden Eagle”).
GSM MODEL iPhone 4S In Factory Box Unlocked.
Albert-Techie(UK)”Now on Sales”Smartphones/Android Phones…We export internationally and Offer Promos to all interested International buyers; We make delivery right to your Doorstep at affordable Rates including Customs Duties Charges.
See Below for International Buyers Promos Offer:
iPhone 4s:
16GB,,,$510
32GB,,,$620
64GB,,,$725
Available in Color (White\Black) 16GB,32GB,64GB
Company Bonus* BUY 3UNITS AND GET FREE (DROP-SHIPPING)
Place in your Order Today *Albert_Tech@techie.com*
German armored vehicles are also named after big cats (Tiger, Panther, Puma, Leopard…). Perhaps we can have OS X Panzerkampfwagen?
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!
+1
PanzerPanther was already used. 🙁OS X Sabretooth
OS X Liger
OS X Tigon
“Liger is only the most coolest animal on the face of the planet! It’s bread for its skills in magic.” – Napoleon Dynamite
Liger and/or tigon would make sense once Siri is ported over to really help drive the point home that 2 “species” of operating system have been bred together to create a hybrid that is bigger and stronger than either of the original “parents”…
Why not variations on big cat names, like Bengal…
I like Sabretooth though
Not a bad idea. Being a resident of the Cincinnati area, I’m especially fond of Bengal.
Neither Cheetah nor Puma made it to public knowledge- those names were only behind the scenes. The first cat ‘officially’ labeled was ‘Jaguar’, weren’t it?
both were OS X official versions
10.0 Cheetah
10.1 Puma
Ten years ago, before your time ;))
I think his point was that only a total dork would know that.
Well, yes. Both Cheetah and Puma were _not_ announced names to the public.
Only total dorks count for purposes of our discussions here. We knew them. That is all that matters.
Hey, I’m happy to self-identify as a total dork too.
(Although I ignored them at the time and suffered through until Jaguar.)
Only total dorks have their own town where they can dork around any time they wish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorking
Most here are dorks. I bet 99% of us knew (and used) both Puma and Cheeta!
Time to switch to birds: 10.8.0 Raven
I like it!
I was only trying to say that Apple could re-use both Cheetah and Puma and very few would be the wiser. I started with 10 in its beta days, and was only aware of any _public_ display of name when Jaguar hit the stage. So I wouldn’t get a hair on my ass if 10.8 was called Cheetah. But, there is Lynx, Cougar, Bobcat, Margay, Ocelot, Serval, Caracal, Colocolo, Oncilla, and Kodkod left to use, from common names.
Felix, Sylvester, Hobbes, Doraemon…
Cougar?
=:~)
Aside from the obvious social reference, I think a Cougar is the same thing as a Puma, Mountain Lion, etc…
An extinct animal might not be a great choice either. Too easy to joke about that fact.
I’m thinking something futuristic. Maybe Constellations, stars, Star Trek starship classes or names. Mac OS X Dreadnaught.
You’re correct it is the same but Cougar is still a different name. I’m guessing Cupertino is probably more interested in using a name that is part of a theme as opposed to wether or not the genus has already been used.
The stars one sounds good. Goes with the desktop pics. And probably enough star names to last quite awhile
Cougar should be a special version for old Macs dressed up. And Apple could make a special version just for Wall $treet: Fat Cat.
There. I feel better now.
lol…10.eight pussy
Bobcat
Cougar
Lynx
I hear the reason Lion incorporated Touch is because cats eat mice. Hahaha
OS X 10.8 Persian
OS X 10.9 Siamese
OS X 11.0 Cheshire
After Lion, naming the next OS “Domestic Tabby” sounds like a letdown.
No way! House cats rule the WORLD! Every owner knows that. Mac OS Maine Coon here we come!
Maybe the answer then is to start using actual cat names:
OSX Boots
OSX Miss Priggles
OSX Snowball
OSX Uggums
Um, er, no. House cats do not have “owners,” they have staff.
My bad. You are right. The two cats in my household make that abundantly clear. Especially when I am cleaning out the cat boxes …
Garfield?
Sylvester first, then Garfield.
It is high time for Apple to launch to space now in preparation for the inauguration obf Mothership!!!
Perhaps naming the OS versions after planetary bodies is the right move.
I second Hobbes 😉
Garfield!! FTW
pussy…?
lion-o, tygra, panthro, cheetara wilykit and wilikat thundercats-HO!!!!
Um… yes, please!
I say they move to names of self defense weapons. Mac OS X Switchblade, OS X Brass Knuckles, OS X Mace, OS X Taser… you get the idea.
lol. Ripping good laugh.
Kucing Garong
I’d say: Sphinx, a neat transition to a virtual cornucopia of mythical beasts of great power. (Excluding the unicorn, of course.)
Chupacabra?
Caracal (designated as biggest of the small cats, fiercely territorial and fast on its feet). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracal
Mac OS X Sabretooth!!!
Don’t mess with it, LOL!!!
Disregard -anything- Brian Caulfield has to say about Apple (and you just might be better off disregarding anything he has to say at all)
I think Ballmer’sLeftNut will agree with me on this but the only cat mightier than the lion is the pussycat.
OS X Pussy Galore. More delicious than Windows 8. Finally an OS you can get down on and munch some rug.
Rug? You’re showing your age.
These days, the floors are all bare hard wood.
Sabre
Or… Mac OS X Mountain Lion
If we had a Snow Leopard, we can have a mountain lios. How much American can it be?
OK, a mountain lion and a puma are the same thing, I guess, but who cares? LOL!!!
Perhaps its time to Mac OS XI, and switch to birds: Eagle, Falcon, Condor, Vulture, Tweety Bird….
Sorry, guys, I’m just foling around….