OS X is the current OS for Apple’s Macintosh. The OS originally debuted as Mac OS X Public Beta “Kodiak” on September 13, 2000, but the official version was released as Mac OS X Cheetah on March 24, 2001. The latest version is OS X Yosemite, released to consumers on October 16, 2014.
History
2000-2006: Beginnings and basic look
The OS X operating system was introduced under testing in 2000, with the beta release of Mac OS X Kodiak. Part of the interface is different from earlier versions of Mac OS. The Dock was introduced, and had a new window effect.
The Apple logo was moved to the center of the navigation bar for a short period of time. This was not mentally a major move, though. It was later moved back to the far left of the bar.
Typical look of OS X 10.0 Public Beta “Kodiak”.
On March 24, 2001, the public beta was discontinued with the release of 10.0 Cheetah.
The default look of Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah, showcasing some new features.
The Apple button looked a little different with the release of Mac OS X 10.1 Puma.
Screenshot of Mac OS X Puma, released to consumers on September 25, 2001.
Mac OS X Jaguar was released on August 24, 2002.
In OS X 10.2 Jaguar, some things look different. One of the changes is that the Finder now has a search box built in with every window.
There were two important changes in OS X 10.3 Panther; the new Finder icon, and Safari replacing Internet Explorer.
Screenshot of OS X 10.3 Panther, with the new Finder and steel effect.
OS X Tiger, released April 29, 2005, came with more new looks and features.
The desktop introduced with OS X Tiger. Notice the effect change in the navigation bar at the top, and the new search option.
2007-2014: New Dock and design changes
OS X Leopard, released on October 26, 2007, had a completely new design, with the new Dock and window design.
Notice the Dock and window changes from the previous version in OS X Leopard.
Here’s a gallery of versions:
- Snow Leopard (2009)
- Lion (2011)
- Mountain Lion (2012)
- Mavericks (2013)
2014-present: New look with OS X Yoemite
On October 16, 2014, Apple released OS X Yosemite with a new look. It now looks more like iOS 7, and has an updated Dock.
Default desktop of OS X Yosemite.
There is a new version of OS X, called 10.11 EI Capitan. It is scheduled to be released in fall 2015.
Preview desktop of OS X 10.11 EI Capitan.
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