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System 1.0 – The first Macintosh operating system, featuring a graphical user interface.
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System 7 – Introduced color support, virtual memory, and cooperative multitasking.
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Mac OS 8 – Released during Apple’s financial struggles, it included performance improvements and a new Platinum theme.
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Mac OS 9 – The final version of "Classic" Mac OS, featuring improved networking and encryption.
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(March): Mac OS X 10.0 "Cheetah" – First major release based on Unix (Darwin), in troducing Aqua UI, Dock, and protected memory. (September): Mac OS X 10.1 "Puma" – Performance improvements and added features like DVD playback.
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Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar" – Introduced Quartz Extreme, iChat, and Address Book.
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Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" – Added Exposé, Fast User Switching, and improved Finder.
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Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" – Introduced Spotlight search, Dashboard widgets, and was the first OS to run on Intel Macs
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Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" – Added Time Machine, Spaces, and a redesigned Finder.
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Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" – Focused on performance, 64-bit support, and Grand Central Dispatch.
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Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" – Introduced Launchpad, Mission Control, and auto-save features; first to be distributed via Mac App Store.
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OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" – Brought more iOS features (Messages, Notification Center, Game Center).
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OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" – Free updates, introduced iCloud Keychain and multiple displays support.
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OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" – Redesigned UI (flat, iOS 7-inspired), introduced Continuity features (Handoff, iPhone calls on Mac).
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OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" – Focused on performance, Metal API, and Split View.
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macOS 10.12 "Sierra" – Renamed from "OS X" to "macOS"; introduced Siri, Apple Pay (Safari), and Universal Clipboard.
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macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" – Added APFS file system, Metal 2, and HEVC support.
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macOS 10.14 "Mojave" – Introduced Dark Mode, Dynamic Desktop, and iOS apps (Stocks, Home, Voice Memos).
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macOS 10.15 "Catalina" – Dropped 32-bit app support, introduced Sidecar, and split iTunes into separate apps (Music, TV, Podcasts).
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macOS 11.0 "Big Sur" – First major version number change in 20 years; redesigned UI (closer to iOS), Control Center, and native Apple Silicon (M1) support.
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macOS 12 "Monterey" – Introduced Universal Control (share mouse/keyboard across devices), Shortcuts app, and Focus Mode.
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macOS 13 "Ventura" – Added Stage Manager, Continuity Camera (use iPhone as webcam), and Passkeys.
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macOS 14 "Sonoma" – Introduced interactive widgets, Game Mode, and enhanced video conferencing tools.
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macOS 15 – (Expected) Likely to focus on AI enhancements, further iOS integration, and performance improvements.