“Last year, Apple surprised developers and analysts alike by debuting a preview of OS X Mountain Lion, then announcing it was shifting to an annual release schedule for its Mac operating system,” Gregg Keizer reports for Computerworld. “That was Feb. 16, 2012, a year and three weeks ago.”
“So where is OS X ‘Next,’ or whatever name Apple chooses for its latest operating system?” Keizer wonders. “If Apple is on the same schedule as last year and the year before that — a preview in February, a July ship date — the company is running behind. In 2012, Apple offered registered developers their first look at OS X Mountain Lion on Feb. 16, then 161 days later shipped the upgrade. 2011’s schedule was similar, but with 147 days between OS X Lion’s developer preview and release.”
“Assuming Apple announced a preview of OS X today and stuck to those time lines, the upgrade would be released between Aug. 5 and Aug. 19,” Keizer reports. “That’s later than the last two years, but within the ‘annual’ cadence, according to one analyst. A year ago, Michael Gartenberg of Gartner Research, who was told by Apple that it was putting OS X on an annual pace, said, ‘There may be a month here or a month there,’ of flexibility in the schedule.”
Keizer reports, “Speaking of ‘Next,’ the naming of OS X 10.9, as the upgrade would be numbered, remains a mystery. Although some Apple enthusiast blogs speculated last fall that it could be designated ‘Lynx’ or ‘Cougar’… [but] Apple’s Lynx trademark was designated ‘abandoned’ in Dec. 2007, while Cougar met the same fate in May 2008.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: What’s your OS X name of choice?
Mac OS X versions, names/codenames, and release dates:
• Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: July 25, 2012
• 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 “Old Tech” for the heads up.]
Bobcat – can’t see them using it, but I don’t think it has been mentioned yet.
There’s also Ocelot. Definitely running out of cat names…
What is wrong with OS/neXt
Jellicle with permission from TS Eliot, of course. But the secret code-name known only internally to Apple must not be revealed!
Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)
Smelly Cat (song Phobe of the TV show Friends sang)
Cat in the Hat (Dr. Suess)
Puss in Reboot (Shrek character)
Sabertooth Tiger (Fred Flintstone pet)
damn, I got to get out more… too much TV!
For Microsoft… Sir Crapsalot (Two and a Half Men, one of Charlies girlfriend’s cat name)
Lynx: Maybe.
Cougar: Nope. A cougar is a mountain lion.
My speculation is that we’re headed into OS XI, aka 11, aka Eleven. I don’t know what code names are being considered. But I know it’s going to sport integrated REAL 3D GUI elements, all touch enabled, all putting the competition to shame. This is pioneering territory. So expect OS XI to evolve with time to match up with corresponding easy of use as determined by users. I like it a lot!
All the hardware and software elements exist for this to happen right now. No more excuses. But keep in mind this is merely me speculating.
OS X 10.9 Nyan Cat. or of course it could be called OS X 10.9 Tabby Cat