Diff for MacOS

Revision by wikicurator on 2026-07-13 15:20

[[File:macos_sonoma.jpg|macOS Sonoma running across a MacBook Air, iMac, and MacBook Pro]]

'''macOS''' (formerly Mac OS X) is the proprietary [[Unix-based]] operating system developed by [[Apple]] for its [[Macintosh]] line of computers. It was built on the foundations of [[NeXTSTEP]] after Apple acquired [[NeXT]] in 1997, and first shipped as Mac OS X in 2001.

== Versions ==
Since 2013, macOS releases have been named after California landmarks rather than big cat species:
* '''Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan''' -- early California-named releases
* '''Big Sur''' -- introduced a major visual redesign and native [[Apple Silicon]] support
* '''Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma''' -- continued refinement of the Big Sur design language
* '''Sequoia''' -- most recent major release at time of writing

== Features ==
* Unix underpinnings (a certified [[Unix 03]] system since Leopard), giving access to a real terminal and POSIX tools
* Tight integration with Apple hardware, especially since the 2020 transition to [[Apple Silicon]] chips
* [[Spotlight]] search, [[Time Machine]] backups, and a consistent design language across Apple's OS family
* App distribution both through the [[Mac App Store]] and traditional direct downloads

== History ==
macOS traces its lineage through [[NeXTSTEP]], the operating system Steve Jobs's company NeXT built in the late 1980s. When Apple acquired NeXT in 1997, NeXTSTEP became the technical foundation for what would become Mac OS X, replacing the aging classic Mac OS entirely by the early 2000s.

[[Category:Operating systems]]
[[Category:Apple Inc.]]
[[Category:Unix]]