Roger Fingas
Adding to the evidence that Apple is intending to change the name of OS X, the company on Thursday posted an updated webpage referring to the software as "MacOS" instead.
The term can be found on an FAQ page within Apple's Environment subsite, specifically in a section about greenhouse gases and product lifecycles. The text is the only direct reference to either Macs or OS X in the FAQ — notably, the rest of Apple's website still appears to insist on using "OS X."
In late March it was discovered that one framework in OS X 10.11.4 refers to "macOS." Employing the term in a public-facing webpage more strongly suggests this wasn't a fluke. The change was spotted by 9to5Mac earlier today.
Switching to MacOS/macOS would align the platform's branding with Apple's other operating systems: iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Intentionally or not, it would also be a throwback to the earlier days of the Mac between 1984 and 2001.
Apple is mostly likely to announce any name change at its Worldwide Developer Conference in early June, and launch a new Mac operating system later in the year.
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
32 Comments
The fact that it's listed as MacOS and not macOS makes me think not.
Makes sense. It soes seem odd how long it's been stuck in version ten, presumably because the last letter of "UNIX" resembles the Roman numeral for ten. It's been an endless source of confusion for people who think it's "oh ess ex."
This is better evidence than that stupid nib file, at least.
Whether it's "MacOS" or "macOS", it's definitely time for the change.
But will it be 10.12 or 11.0?
My favorite option is kind of a crazy one: Not Mac OS 10.12 or 11, but Mac OS 22.
It would make up for lost time by counting each revision of OS X as a whole number.
The best time to do this would've been Yosemite (Mac OS 20).