-
1984
System 1.0 – The first Macintosh operating system, featuring a graphical user interface. -
1991
System 7 – Introduced color support, virtual memory, and cooperative multitasking. -
1997
Mac OS 8 – Released during Apple’s financial struggles, it included performance improvements and a new Platinum theme. -
1999
Mac OS 9 – The final version of "Classic" Mac OS, featuring improved networking and encryption. -
Period: to
MacOS X
(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. -
2002
Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar" – Introduced Quartz Extreme, iChat, and Address Book. -
2003
Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" – Added Exposé, Fast User Switching, and improved Finder. -
2005
Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" – Introduced Spotlight search, Dashboard widgets, and was the first OS to run on Intel Macs -
2007
Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" – Added Time Machine, Spaces, and a redesigned Finder. -
2009
Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" – Focused on performance, 64-bit support, and Grand Central Dispatch. -
2011
Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" – Introduced Launchpad, Mission Control, and auto-save features; first to be distributed via Mac App Store. -
2012
OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" – Brought more iOS features (Messages, Notification Center, Game Center). -
2013 - Transition to macOS and modernization
OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" – Free updates, introduced iCloud Keychain and multiple displays support. -
2014
OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" – Redesigned UI (flat, iOS 7-inspired), introduced Continuity features (Handoff, iPhone calls on Mac). -
2015
OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" – Focused on performance, Metal API, and Split View. -
2016
macOS 10.12 "Sierra" – Renamed from "OS X" to "macOS"; introduced Siri, Apple Pay (Safari), and Universal Clipboard. -
2017
macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" – Added APFS file system, Metal 2, and HEVC support. -
2018
macOS 10.14 "Mojave" – Introduced Dark Mode, Dynamic Desktop, and iOS apps (Stocks, Home, Voice Memos). -
2019
macOS 10.15 "Catalina" – Dropped 32-bit app support, introduced Sidecar, and split iTunes into separate apps (Music, TV, Podcasts). -
2020
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. -
2021
macOS 12 "Monterey" – Introduced Universal Control (share mouse/keyboard across devices), Shortcuts app, and Focus Mode. -
2022
macOS 13 "Ventura" – Added Stage Manager, Continuity Camera (use iPhone as webcam), and Passkeys. -
2023
macOS 14 "Sonoma" – Introduced interactive widgets, Game Mode, and enhanced video conferencing tools. -
Period: to
2024 - 2025
macOS 15 – (Expected) Likely to focus on AI enhancements, further iOS integration, and performance improvements.