macOS facts for kids

macOS

macOS Sonoma, the latest release of macOS
Company / developer	Apple
Programmed in	C C++ Objective-C Swift assembly language
OS family	Mac Unix
Working state	Current
Source model	Proprietary (with open source components)
Initial release	March 24, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-03-24)
Available language(s)	Bahasa Melayu - Malay Català - Catalan Čeština - Czech Dansk - Danish Deutsch - German English (Australia) - English (Australia) English (Canada) - English (Canada) English (India) - English (India) English (Ireland) - English (Ireland) English (New Zealand) - English (New Zealand) English (Singapore) - English (Singapore) English (South Africa) - English (South Africa) English (United Kingdom) - English (United Kingdom) English (United States) - English (United States) Español (España) - Spanish (Spain) Español (Estados Unidos) - Spanish (United States) Español (Latinoamérica) - Spanish (Latin America) Español (México) - Spanish (Mexico) Français (Canada) - French (Canada) Français (France) - French (France) Hrvatski - Croatian Indonesia - Indonesian Italiano - Italian Magyar - Hungarian Nederlands - Dutch Norsk bokmål - Norwegian Bokmål Polski - Polish Português (Brasil) - Portuguese (Brazil) Português (Portugal) - Portuguese (Portugal) Română - Romanian Slovenčina - Slovak Suomi - Finnish Svenska - Swedish Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese Türkçe - Turkish Ελληνικά - Greek Русский - Russian Українська - Ukrainian עברית - Hebrew العربية - Arabic हिन्दी - Hindi ไทย - Thai 한국어 - Korean 日本語 - Japanese 简体中文 - Simplified Chinese 繁體中文（台灣） - Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) 繁體中文（香港） - Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
Supported platforms	Arm64 (11.0–) x86-64 (10.4.7–) IA-32 (10.4.4–10.6.8) PowerPC (10.0–10.5.8)
Kernel type	Hybrid (XNU)
Default user interface	Aqua (graphical)
License	Commercial software, proprietary software
Preceded by	Classic Mac OS, NeXTSTEP

macOS is an operating system made by Apple for its Mac computers. It was first called Mac OS X and later shortened to OS X. It has been around since 2001.

macOS is the second most popular computer operating system. It is used on desktop and laptop computers, right after Microsoft Windows. It is more widely used than Linux systems, including ChromeOS.

Before macOS, Apple used an operating system called classic Mac OS. This system was used from 1984 to 2001. The basic design of macOS came from an operating system called NeXTSTEP. This system was created by a company called NeXT, which Apple bought. This purchase also brought Steve Jobs back to Apple.

The first version for computers, Mac OS X 10.0, came out on March 24, 2001. Many versions of macOS are certified as UNIX 03. Other Apple operating systems like iOS (for iPhones), iPadOS (for iPads), watchOS (for Apple Watch), and tvOS (for Apple TV) are based on macOS.

For a long time, macOS used the Roman numeral X, pronounced "ten." Each new version was named after a big cat, like "Tiger" or "Leopard." Later, they started naming them after places in California. In 2011, Apple changed the name to "OS X." Then, in 2016, they changed it again to "macOS." This was to match the names of their other operating systems like iOS and watchOS.

After 16 versions of macOS 10, macOS Big Sur was released as version 11 in 2020. All new versions now increase the main version number, just like the older Mac OS and iOS.

macOS has worked on three main types of computer processors. It started with PowerPC Macs in 1999. In 2006, Apple switched to Intel processors. Then, in 2020, Apple started using its own Apple silicon processors, which are based on Arm technology. As of 2023, the newest macOS is macOS 14 Sonoma.

How macOS Was Made

Early Development

The idea for macOS started at NeXT, a company founded by Steve Jobs after he left Apple in 1985. There, they created a system called NeXTSTEP. Its core part, called the kernel, was based on the Mach kernel. It also used parts from FreeBSD. The way you interacted with it, its graphical user interface, was built using the Objective-C programming language.

In the 1990s, Apple tried to make a new operating system to replace the classic Mac OS. They had projects like Copland, but they didn't work out. So, in 1997, Apple bought NeXT. This meant NeXTSTEP became the base for Apple's next operating system.

This purchase also brought Steve Jobs back to Apple as the CEO. He helped turn the programmer-friendly OPENSTEP into a system that everyday users and creative people would love. This project was first called "Rhapsody" before it officially became Mac OS X.

The Mac OS X Era

The "X" in Mac OS X means the number 10 in Roman numerals. Apple said it should be pronounced "ten." However, many people also said it like the letter "X." Later Apple products like the iPhone X also used this naming style.

Older Mac operating systems used regular numbers, like Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9. Until macOS 11 Big Sur, all versions of macOS were numbered 10.x, from 10.0 to 10.15. With macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple started using new main version numbers for each big release.

The first version of Mac OS X was Mac OS X 10.0, released in 2001. People had mixed feelings about it. They liked its cool, shiny Aqua interface. But they also said it was slow. Apple was not very popular at the time.

Apple quickly made new versions of Mac OS X. Version 10.3, called Panther, brought many new features. Version 10.4, Tiger, even surprised people at Microsoft. It had features like fast file searching that Microsoft was still working on for Windows Vista.

As macOS grew, Apple added and removed applications. They focused on music, creating the iPod and software like iTunes and GarageBand. They also added "digital lifestyle" apps like iLife and the Safari web browser. Apple also offered online services like iCloud and later the Mac App Store for buying apps.

The look of macOS also changed over time. It moved away from the striped, shiny look of the first versions. In 2006, the first Macs with Intel processors were released with a special version of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.

A big change came with the iPhone in 2007. The iPhone used an operating system based on Mac OS X, which later became iOS. This meant Apple had to work on two similar systems. The iPhone's success made many developers interested in making apps for Mac OS X too.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (2007) was the last version to support older PowerPC Macs. It could be installed on both Intel and PowerPC Macs. Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (2009) was the first version made only for Intel Macs. It focused on making the system faster and more stable, not on adding many new features.

In later versions like Lion and Mountain Lion, Apple made some apps look like iOS apps. They also simplified some parts of the interface. For example, scroll bars would disappear when not in use. With Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple stopped selling separate server versions of macOS. Instead, server tools became a separate app you could download.

The OS X Era

OS X logo used until 2013

In 2012, with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, the name was officially shortened to "OS X." Apple also changed its design direction to be more simple and "flat." This new design style was first seen in iOS 7 in 2013.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks (2013) was a step towards this new design. The next version, OS X 10.10 Yosemite (2014), fully adopted a design similar to iOS 7.

From 2012 onwards, macOS started releasing new versions every year, like iOS. Apple also made updates free, starting with OS X Mavericks. Some people thought this meant less focus on making the system super stable. So, Apple's 2015 update, OS X 10.11 El Capitan, focused on making things more stable and faster.

The macOS Era

Current logo

In 2016, with macOS 10.12 Sierra, the name changed from OS X to "macOS." This was to match Apple's other operating systems: iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. macOS Sierra added Siri, iCloud Drive, and features like Universal Clipboard, which lets you copy something on your iPhone and paste it on your Mac. It also added support for the new Apple File System (APFS).

macOS 10.13 High Sierra (2017) made the system faster and made APFS the main file system for SSDs. macOS 10.14 Mojave (2018) added a dark mode and dynamic wallpapers. macOS 10.15 Catalina (2019) replaced iTunes with separate apps for music, TV, and podcasts. It also allowed developers to bring iOS apps to Mac more easily.

In 2020, Apple released macOS 11 Big Sur. This was the first time the main version number changed since 2000. Big Sur brought big changes to the look of the system and was the first version to run on Apple's new Arm-based processors. The new numbering continued with macOS 12 Monterey (2021), macOS 13 Ventura (2022), macOS 14 Sonoma (2023), and macOS 15 Sequoia (2024).

Timeline of Releases

1.^↑ The Power Mac G5 had special Jaguar builds.

2.^↑ Tiger did not support 64-bit GUI applications, only 64-bit CLI applications.

3.^1 2 32-bit (but not 64-bit) PowerPC applications were supported on Intel processors with Rosetta.

4.^↑ 64-bit Intel applications are supported on Apple silicon Macs with Rosetta 2. However, Intel-based Macs are unable to run ARM-based applications, such as iOS and iPadOS apps.

Mac OS X versions used to be named after big cats. This started with Mac OS X 10.0 and went until OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Then, Apple started using names of places in California. For example, version 10.0 was called "Cheetah" inside Apple, and 10.1 was "Puma." After the popular "Jaguar" (10.2) release, Apple started using these code names in their marketing.

Apple registered "Panther," "Tiger," and "Leopard" as trademarks. But "Cheetah," "Puma," and "Jaguar" were not registered.

Mac OS X Public Beta

On September 13, 2000, Apple released a special "preview" version of Mac OS X for $29.95. It was called Kodiak internally. This was to get feedback from users.

This "PB" (Public Beta) was the first time people saw the new Aqua interface. Apple made many changes based on what users said. The Mac OS X Public Beta stopped working in Spring 2001.

Mac OS X 10.0

Screenshot of OS X 10.0

On March 24, 2001, Apple released Mac OS X 10.0, known as "Cheetah." This first version was slow and didn't have many apps. While some critics said it wasn't ready for everyone, they also saw it as an important first step. Just getting Mac OS X released was a big deal for the Mac community, as Apple had tried to update the Mac OS since 1996 with many delays.

Mac OS X 10.1

Later that year, on September 25, 2001, Mac OS X 10.1, called "Puma," came out. It was faster and added missing features like DVD playback. Apple gave 10.0 users a free upgrade CD. On January 7, 2002, Apple announced that Mac OS X would be the main operating system for all Macs by the end of that month.

Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar

On August 23, 2002, Apple released Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar." This was the first time Apple used the code name in its marketing. It made the system much faster and updated the look of Aqua. Jaguar also added over 150 new features. These included Quartz Extreme for better graphics, a new Address Book, and the iChat messaging app. The old "Happy Mac" icon, which appeared when a Mac started, was replaced with a grey Apple logo.

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther

Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther" came out on October 24, 2003. It greatly improved performance and changed the user interface a lot. Panther added many new features. These included an updated Finder, Fast user switching, Exposé (for managing windows), FileVault for encryption, Safari, and iChat AV for video calls. Some older G3 Macs were no longer supported.

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

Screenshot of Tiger

Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" was released on April 29, 2005. Apple said Tiger had over 200 new features. Like Panther, it stopped supporting some older machines. Tiger needed a Mac with 256 MB of RAM and a FireWire port. New features included Spotlight for searching, Dashboard for widgets, Smart Folders, and updated Mail and Safari apps. The first Apple TV used a special version of Tiger. On January 10, 2006, Apple released the first Intel-based Macs with the 10.4.4 update to Tiger.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" was released on October 26, 2007. Apple called it "the largest update of Mac OS X." It added over 300 new features. Leopard worked on both PowerPC and Intel x86 Macs. It needed at least 512 MB of RAM. New features included a new look, an updated Finder, Time Machine for backups, Spaces for multiple desktops, and Boot Camp for running Windows. Leopard was the last version of Mac OS X to support PowerPC Macs.

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" was released on August 28, 2009. Instead of big new features, Snow Leopard focused on making the system faster, more efficient, and more stable. The most noticeable changes for users were more free disk space, a faster Finder, and quicker Time Machine backups. Snow Leopard only worked on Intel Macs and needed at least 1 GB of RAM. It no longer supported PowerPC applications by default.

Snow Leopard also brought new 64-bit technology for more RAM and better use of multi-core processors. The 10.6.6 update added the Mac App Store, where you could download macOS applications.

OS X Lion was announced at WWDC 2011 at Moscone West.

OS X 10.7 Lion

OS X 10.7 "Lion" was released on July 20, 2011. It brought ideas from Apple's iOS to the Mac. These included Launchpad for seeing all your apps easily and more use of multi-touch gestures. This version removed support for older PowerPC applications.

The look of the system changed too. Scrollbars would hide when not in use. Mission Control combined Exposé, Spaces, and Dashboard into one view. Apps would also remember where you left off, like on iOS.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" was released on July 25, 2012. This was the first of the yearly updates for OS X. It added features from iOS 5, such as Game Center, iMessage in the new Messages app, and Reminders. It also supported saving iWork documents in iCloud. Notification Center also appeared, showing app alerts in one place. Mountain Lion also added more features for Chinese users.

Starting with Mountain Lion, Apple software updates are done through the App Store.

A screenshot of OS X Mavericks

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" was released on October 22, 2013. It was a free upgrade for many users. It added Maps and iBooks apps, which were previously only on iOS. It also improved Notification Center and made many under-the-hood improvements.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" was released on October 16, 2014. It had a new look, similar to iOS 7. This design was more minimal and "flat," using clear effects and bright colors. A key new feature was Handoff, which let iPhone users answer calls and send messages from their Mac. As of OS X 10.10.3, Photos replaced iPhoto.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Screenshot of El Capitan

OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" was released on September 30, 2015. Like Snow Leopard, this version focused on making the Mac experience better and improving performance. It added public transport to the Maps app and improved the Notes app. It also introduced System Integrity Protection for better security.

The Metal API, first seen in iOS 8, was also added. Metal helps graphics run faster, making apps and games smoother.

macOS 10.12 Sierra

macOS 10.12 "Sierra" was released on September 20, 2016. New features included Siri, Optimized Storage, and updates to Photos, Messages, and iTunes.

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" was released on September 25, 2017. Like El Capitan, High Sierra was mostly about making things better behind the scenes. It had few new features that users would notice, but it updated Safari, Photos, and Mail.

The biggest change was switching to the Apple File System, which works better with the solid-state drives (SSDs) in most new Macs.

macOS 10.14 Mojave

macOS 10.14 "Mojave" was released on September 24, 2018. This update brought a system-wide dark mode. It also added several new apps from iOS, like Apple News. Mojave was the first version that needed a graphics card that supported Metal. It also moved the system software update from the App Store to a new section in System Preferences.

macOS 10.15 Catalina

macOS 10.15 "Catalina" was released on October 7, 2019. Updates included better voice control. It also replaced iTunes with separate apps for music, video, and podcasts. A cool new feature was the ability to use an iPad as an extra screen for your Mac. Catalina also stopped supporting older 32-bit applications.

macOS 11 Big Sur

macOS Big Sur was announced on June 22, 2020, and released on November 12, 2020. This was the first time the main version number of macOS changed since 2000. It brought support for Arm processors, new icons, and a fresh new look for the system.

macOS 12 Monterey

macOS Monterey was announced on June 7, 2021, and released on October 25, 2021. It introduced Universal Control, which lets you use one mouse and keyboard across multiple Apple devices. It also added Focus, which helps you manage notifications, and Shortcuts, for automating tasks. Safari also got a new design.

macOS 13 Ventura

macOS Ventura was announced on June 6, 2022, and released on October 24, 2022. It brought a new look to System Settings, making it more like the settings on iOS. It also added Weather and Clock apps for Mac. A neat feature lets you use your iPhone as a webcam for video calls.

macOS 14 Sonoma

macOS Sonoma was announced on June 5, 2023, and released on September 26, 2023. macOS Sonoma changed how widgets work; you can now place them anywhere on your desktop. It also added a Game Mode, which makes games run smoother by giving them more power from your computer.

macOS 15 Sequoia

macOS Sequoia was announced on June 10, 2024. It adds support for Apple Intelligence features, like a smarter Siri and new writing tools. It also includes iPhone Mirroring, a new Passwords app, and a window tiling feature similar to Windows.

How macOS Works

Aqua User Interface

The original Aqua user interface in the Mac OS X Public Beta from 2000

One of the biggest changes from the old classic Mac OS to macOS was the addition of Aqua. This is the graphical user interface that came with the first major release of Mac OS X. Aqua has a smooth, water-like look. Every part of the screen, like text and buttons, is drawn very smoothly. ColorSync was also improved to make sure colors look the same on screen and when printed. Windows and text also had soft shadows, making them look like they had depth.

Aqua used soft edges, clear colors, and pinstripes. This made the interface more colorful and textured compared to Mac OS 9. When Aqua first came out, it was a big change and surprised many people. Some third-party developers even made "skins" to make other systems look like Aqua.

Apple has kept changing the look of macOS, especially the windows and menu bar. Since 2012, many Macs have high-resolution Retina displays. macOS works well with these screens, making everything look super sharp.

Apple also has human interface guidelines that many apps follow. This makes sure apps have a similar look and feel, making them easy to use. macOS also includes helpful features like spell checkers, a special characters palette, and a dictionary that work in many apps. The graphics system uses OpenGL to draw windows on the screen very quickly. This technology, called Quartz Extreme, makes everything look smooth. You can also easily view and create PDF documents from any app.

Main Parts of macOS

The Finder is like a file explorer. It helps you quickly find and open files and folders on your computer. Quick Look lets you see a preview of files, even videos, without opening them. Spotlight is a powerful search tool. It can quickly find files, emails, photos, and other information on your Mac. macOS also uses a Dock at the bottom of the screen. It holds shortcuts to your favorite apps and minimized windows.

Apple added Exposé in version 10.3. It helps you manage your open windows. You can see all open windows as small pictures, or just the windows from one app. You can also hide all windows to see your desktop. FileVault lets you encrypt (lock) your files so only you can access them.

Features in version 10.4 included Automator, which helps you create automatic tasks. Dashboard was a screen with small apps called widgets. Front Row was a media viewer you could control with an Apple Remote.

In version 10.5, system icons could be scaled up to 512x512 pixels. This version also brought Spaces, which lets you have multiple desktops. Time Machine is an automatic backup tool. It lets you go back in time to find and restore old versions of your files. Screen Sharing was also built in for the first time.

More recent versions of macOS have added support for emoji characters. Apple has also connected macOS with social networks like Twitter and Facebook. They also brought Siri, the smart assistant, from iOS to macOS in version 10.12.

Languages Supported

macOS supports 39 system languages. You can choose your preferred language when you set up your Mac. The system language is used throughout the entire operating system. You can also choose different ways to type in dozens of other languages. Recent updates have added more support for Chinese characters and connections with popular social networks in China.

How to Update macOS

You can update macOS using the Software Update section in System Settings. Before OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, there was a separate Software Update app. In Mountain Lion and later, this was moved into the Mac App Store app. In macOS 10.14 Mojave, the update function moved back to the Software Update settings.

Most Macs get macOS updates for about six or seven years. After a new major macOS release, the previous two versions still get some updates. However, many security fixes are only added to the very latest macOS version.

Security on macOS

Apple publishes documents about the security features built into macOS and Mac hardware.

Newer Apple silicon Macs have extra hardware-based security features:

• Write xor execute stops some security problems by making sure memory pages are either writable or executable, but not both at the same time.
• Devices connected through PCIe or Thunderbolt cannot read system memory unless they are specifically allowed to.

macOS also has an optional Lockdown Mode. This mode adds more protections, like stopping some parts of Safari's JavaScript from running, which can prevent certain security issues.

Only the newest major version of macOS (currently macOS Sonoma) gets all the latest security fixes. The two versions before that get some updates, but not for every problem. For example, in 2021, Apple fixed a serious security flaw in macOS Big Sur. But it took 234 days for a fix to come out for macOS Catalina, after Apple learned it was being used to attack computers.

macOS Ventura added Rapid Security Response (RSR) updates. These are small updates that install very quickly, often in less than a minute, though they might require a restart.

Malware and Spyware

In its early years, macOS didn't have many problems with malware (bad software) and spyware (software that spies on you), unlike Microsoft Windows. This was partly because macOS had a smaller market share. However, as more people started using Macs, there were more reports of attacks.

In early 2011, macOS saw a big increase in malware attacks. Programs like Mac Defender and MacProtector became a growing problem. At first, these programs needed the user to type in their password to install. But later versions could install without user input. Apple eventually released an update to fix the problem. About 100,000 users were affected.

Apple regularly releases security updates for macOS. It also includes Xprotect, a built-in anti-malware feature that helps detect known malware.

See also

In Spanish: MacOS para niños