Back in 2015 Simon Royal wrote a piece about the Major and Minor versions of Mac OS X from Kodiak all the way up to El Capitan, which was the latest release at the time. Back in 2015, OS X was being released in “major” and “minor” release cycles, alternating between operating system releases that featured either many new features, or just an OS that has less new features but more work done under the hood.

This day in age Apple is more on a yearly release cycle for their OS and don’t seem to necessarily follow this cycle anymore, following by their own flow of things and often creating many new features with their releases each year. While now we are used to new OSes coming out every year, back in 2016 El Capitan was the 5th version of OS X to be released in yearly succession starting with Mac OS X Lion. Prior to Lion, OSes were released once every few years or even more.

Click to jump ahead to another section:

• Chapter 1: PowerPC Era
• Chapter 2: Intel Era
• Chapter 3: Apple Silicon Era

---

PowerPC Era

The PowerPC Era drove early Mac OS X as Steve Jobs came back and breathed life back into the company. Although Apple was actually testing Intel builds of Mac OS X internally, the first version of Mac OS X to ship with an intel chip is 10.4.6 Tiger. This was the dawn of a new era with a brand new interface.

Public Beta Kodiak

Mac OS X Public Beta ‘Kodiak’ was our first taste of the future. Apple had for a long time wanted a next generation operating system. Classic Mac OS was getting old and behind the times, and in 2000 Apple released the Public Beta to Mac OS X.

This new system was built around the NeXT operating system it had bought from Steve Jobs a few years earlier and had a Unix/BSD base.

It showed off a whole new look including the dock and the Aqua interface – and set Apple on a long road of revisions. It was a major leap over Mac OS9.

For the pure reason that it is the first we saw of Mac OSX, we can state that the Public Beta was a major version.

OS X 10.0 Cheetah

Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah was a minor revision, over the Public Beta. The early years of OS X were a rough ride for those following it – although many stayed with the stability of Mac OS9, until Mac OSX 10.2 ‘Jaguar’.

How Apple managed to release OS X Cheetah and Puma in the state they did I do not know. They even managed to charge $129 for Cheetah.

We Mac users ridicule Windows as being an unfinished, bug-ridden operating systems, and then Apple went from the rock solid beast that was Mac OS 8 and 9 (rock solid without third-party additions, which could make things unstable) to the early versions of OS X that could barely last a few hours without crashing.

OS X 10.1 Puma

OS X 10.1 Puma with its customisable interface, better networking and the addition of hundreds of third party drivers made it the first useable version of OS X. This was reflected in the fact that it was offered as a free upgrade from Cheetah. We tend to disregard the Public Beta and Cheetah as proper versions of OS X – and quite rightly so. Puma was the first ‘real’ major version because of the significant improvements it brought with it.

OS X 10.2 Jaguar

Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar was a minor revision. It brought speed improvements and added stability over Puma as well as adding minor new features such as Quartz Extreme, an updated Mail, iChat, Bluetooth, and Rendevous (later renamed Bonjour). Because of the speed and stability it brought a lot of people consider this the first usable version of OS X. It was the first version I ran as my main OS since OS 9.

OS X 10.3 Panther

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther was a major revision. Not only did it clean up the whole OS, it brought AES encryption, improved Finder, Font Book, and Xcode, and it introduced Fast User Switching (which also brought the 3D cube animation for switching users). It was further improved over Jaguar. While Jaguar was good, Apple still had a long way to go to refine OS X, and Panther was another step forward.

OS X 10.4 Tiger

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger which is the most respected PowerPC version of OS X, was really a minor revision. The speed optimisation over Panther was amazing. I always found Panther (while better than previous versions) clunky and slow. Tiger, on the other hand, ran much better even on unsupported hardware. It brought a more unified look through out the whole OS, as well as Spotlight, improved 64-bit addressing, and a new version of Safari.

Tiger is the longest serving version of OS X to date, giving testimony to how great it was. It ran on a 300 MHz G3 from 1998 all the way up to Core Duo Intel Macs from 2006. Now that’s impressive.

While a minor version, the streamlining and optimisation was amazing.

OS X 10.5 Leopard

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard was a long time coming and a much needed update. It was the first version of OS X to seriously increase the system requirements, dropping the whole G3 range and early, slower G4s too, a mass culling culture that Apple would continue in future versions. This was mainly due to its heavy reliance on the graphics chip to perform fancy new effects. According to Apple, it contained over 300 new features and changes, including redesigned Dock and Finder, Cover Flow, Time Machine, Front Row, and Photo Booth.

This was the only version of OS X that could be installed to run on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. (There were separate PowerPC and Intel versions of Tiger.)

---

Intel Era

Although there are intel builds of Tiger and Leopard, they weren’t Intel exclusive. Snow Leopard is when the operating system started being exclusive to the Intel CPU platform, leaving behind PowerPC Macs altogether. There is a community-built PowerPC build of Mac OS X Snow Leopard that is actively being developed on MacRumors using existing PowerPC Snow Leopard code. A fully PowerPC 10.6.8 Kernel has been compiled, and they are on their way to creating a final Snow Leopard build of 10K549 but for PowerPC.

OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was a minor revision, although this could be argued. It was a huge streamlining of Leopard and the first version of OS X to only run on Intel hardware. It was the first release that was primarily targeted by Apple for its speed improvements and having a smaller footprint rather than lots of new features. But the smaller footprint could primarily be put down to losing the PowerPC code.

Apple certainly pulled it off. Snow Leopard was a lot faster than Leopard on the same hardware and one of the most stable versions of the OS ever to be released.

Snow Leopard has been heralded as one of the best version releases ever by Apple – even in 2015 there are a lot of people still running it because of its extreme speed, stability and compatibility with PowerPC software.

OS X 10.7 Lion

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion was a major release. It was the third time that Apple dropped large amounts of older hardware from its supported list. Where Snow Leopard dropped all PowerPC Macs, Lion dropped all 32-bit Macs, only running on Core 2 Duo Macs.

While not adding lots of new features like other major versions, it altered the path of OS X. It saw Apple bring OS X more in line with iOS, such as LaunchPad and resuming apps from their previous state. It also cut out any support for PowerPC apps, which was handled using the Rosetta emulation engine in Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard on Intel.

When Apple were testing Messages it was initially released as a beta for Lion, although the final release was made for Mountain Lion upwards.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion was a minor revision. Where Lion had taken leaps in terms of new features including iOS integration – Mountain Lion brought with it a serious improvement in speed. Lion was a huge resource hog, however Mountain Lion smoothed out the edges – running much better than Lion did.

Mountain Lion ran on practically the same hardware but it does require a fully 64-bit capable machine. Some Core 2 Duo Macs while being 64-bit capable are hindered by having only a 32-bit EFI meaning they can’t boot to a full native 64-bit kernel and this stops them running Mountain Lion.

New iOS-inspired features include Messages (compatible with the iOS version), Notification Center, and Reminders were added to Mountain Lion.

Mountain Lion also required a fairly top-end graphics chip, cutting out some of those Macs with early integrated chips like the Intel GMA 950 and X3100, ensuring users gets a premium experience rather than a sluggish “minimum requirements” experience like Microsoft.

It was also the first version to quietly drop the term Mac OSX term and simply naming it OSX in the ‘About The Mac’ screen.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

OS X 10.9 Mavericks stopped the big cat naming scheme, switching to California locations. Is Mavericks a major revision? It could be disputed that with Apple switching to a free yearly update system could any future version be called major?

The shift in naming scheme alone could class it as a major revision, but it also came with new Maps and iBook applications, refinements to existing apps and removing some of the skeuomorphic aspects of the UI. It also brought with it speed improvements.

Mavericks was the first version to be offered for free (besides 10.0 Cheetah) – available to anyone running Snow Leopard as it was downloadable via the Mac App Store, which was introduced in the 10.6.6 update. It was a clever move from Apple in a attempt to get all those that can run Mavericks to do so and it worked.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

OS X 10.10 Yosemite was a major version and a much anticipated release. With Apples redesign of iOS7, it was expected that Yosemite would also have a major redesign – and the rumours were correct featuring a 2D dock, new system font and a whole new look.

The new look wasn’t accepted by all, with many claiming it looked ‘childish’ with its flamboyant icons and bright new look.

With Yosemite came Continuity making it easier to move from Mac to iOS easier and visa-versa, iPhoto was replaced by Photos, Spotlight was redesigned, and the search engines were switched to DuckDuckGo.

It was also the first time the public betas were offered since the first release of OS X in 2000.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is a minor version. It looks very similar to Yosemite, with a shift to yet another system font, San Francsisco,  bringing it in line with iOS 9.

El Capitan is dubbed ‘the next Snow Leopard’ with its focus mainly on security and speed. App loading times are increased and new programming API Metal is introduced.

Based on what feedback given by users over time, El Capitan was a minor revision of OS X. It was also the last possible version of macOS able to run on any 2006/2007 Mac Pro.

macOS 10.12 Sierra

Sierra dropped “Mac OS X” and “OS X” altogether, changing to the now still-used “macOS”. It introduces Siri to macOS, continuity, Apple Pay, among other things. For the first time you can auto-unlock your Mac, automatically logging into it when you’re wearing an authenticated Apple Watch.

macOS Siera 10.12 was also the one which started requiring SSE 4.1, forcing any computers without this CPU instruction set to be unable to boot this operating system. Due to this change, Macs such as the Mac Pro 1,1/2,1 are unable to even be patched.

• See: macOS Sierra – Technical Specifications
• See: macOS Siera patcher

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

macOS High Sierra brings a slew of new features for macOS and a few improvements, including a new file system – APFS. High Sierra-equipped Macs start shipping with APFS formatted disks by default, increasing security and reliability as well as the speed of file transfers.

High Sierra also introduces Metal 2 graphics for VR, and eGPUs (in 10.13.4). Safari cross-site track blocking is introduced as well, and high Sierra customizes websites in a way so they stay customized when you visit them.

You also get new editing features in photos, mail upgrades, tweaks in the notes app, an improved spotlight app, more advanced iCloud file sharing features, and even tighter security.

• See: macOS High Sierra – Technical Specifications
• See: High Sierra Patcher

macOS 10.14 Mojave

This is when macOS gains dark mode – for the first time since OS X Yosemite, macOS receives an overhauled theme. Apple updates the App Store, ads new default system apps (News, stocks, voice memos, home), and adds stacks to the finder desktop. This is also the very last macOS to run 32-bit macOS apps, as Catalina drops support.

You can also start making Group FaceTime calls now, screenshots now have on-screen controls for easy access to screenshot options and quick edits. Markup tools are now integrated into Finder, Quick Look and Screenshots.

Mojave drops support for all Nvidia Maxwell and Pascal GPUS, as Nvidia Web Drivers are no longer made past High Sierra. Mojave also adds support for AMD Polaris, a GPU platform that has longstanding macOS Support through to this day.

macOS 10.15 Catalina

Catalina was more or less a refined and slightly faster Mojave, dropping support for 32-bit macOS apps. It adds features like Sidecar which allow you to use your iPad as an external display seamlessly with the Mac.

Apple also replaces their iTunes app in this version of macOS with Apple Music. They bring their podcast and Apple TV apps to the platform, too. Catalina also features screen time, and may app enhancements.

Security enhancements may request repeat confirmations to allow things to run.. and macOS steps further into being locked down, but it is still possible to clone a macOS Catalina disk using Carbon Copy Cloner.

---

Apple Silicon Era

Apple announced their fourth processor architecture transition at WWDC 2020, releasing the Apple Developer Kit 2 alongside it. These new processors are based on the arm architecture and are the culmination of the development of the Apple Silicon done to the iPhone lineup in decades prior. While Apple continued selling some Intel Macs through 2023, 2020 was the final year any Intel Macs were announced.

macOS Big Sur 11.0

Akin to the change with macOS 10.12 Sierra, Big Sur changes an aspect of the naming scheme. Instead of jumping tenth-decimal points to denote OS revisions, they now jump the next number up like in the olden days. This was the first consumer available version of macOS to be released for Apple Silicon Macs, although it is rumored Apple Silicon builds of macOS were tested at Apple as far back as 2018.

Big Sur also was the biggest revamping to the macOS UI since OS X Yosemite. Although Yosemite’s look brought it closer in line with iOS-line design, Big Sur takes the design language alot closer and gives it a sort of continuity from iOS/iPadOS.

There is an all-new control center, a faster and more personal safari with new built-in language translation, more expressive messages, an entirely redesigned maps app, greater privacy and user transparency/control, and Rosetta 2 for Apple Silicon Macs.

See: macOS Big Sur: Features and Tips, Available Now!

macOS Monterey 12.0

This update builds on the workings of Big Sur while bringing many new features to the Mac, still. FaceTime has many new little enhancements including voice isolation mode, shareply, and the ability to invite someone to a FaceTime call on the web even if they don’t have an Apple device. Messages are also redesigned, as is Safari and notifications.

Airplay to Mac is now baked in, you can now copy/paste text from photos, Universal control allows you to use a single trackpad/mouse/keyboard across multiple devices (without setup), and iCloud+ now has private relay.

See: New features available with macOS Monterey.

macOS Ventura 13.0

Ventura introduces new code across macOS which necessitates the use of AVX2, including for its AMD Polaris drivers. You get many new features such as being able to use your iPhone as a webcam, FaceTime handoff, passkeys, and improved Metal 3 developer tools.

You also get stage manager, a revamped and improved spotlight, optimized weather and clock apps, new accessibility features, and System Preferences have been renamed to System Settings in this version of macOS.

See: New macOS Ventura features – press release by Apple

macOS Sonoma 14.0

Many little changes come with Sonoma, it is like an enhanced Ventura. Apple added a bunch of new wallpapers that become live slow-motion screensavers that loop, and changed the Lock Screen accordingly. You can now drag your widgets anywhere, app icons are a pinch more rounded, print center is re-introduced, and many small enhancements were made focusing on creativity and productivity.

See: What’s new in the updates for macOS Sonoma

macOS Sequoia 15.0

macOS Sonoma 15.0 brings a few major changes – namely Window Tiling and Apple Intelligence. You also gain the ability to do iPhone mirroring, getting iPhone notifications on the Mac and seamlessly drag/drop between the devices.

Presenter Preview allows you to see exactly what you’re sharing in your video calling apps before hitting start. You also get background replacements in FaceTime video using segmentation technology.

Safari is now quicker to pull up relevant info from a site, reader is redesigned and smarter, and safari gives you more control over web video while giving you access to playback controls.

In addition, there is now a passwords app. Messages are updated and improved, maps now include trail networks, allow offline hikes and custom hiking/walking routes. Notes have live audio transcription, math notes, collapsable sections, and highlighting.

Calculator has updated basic scientific modes, Calendar allows reminders to be done inside the app, there is a new app called freeform, weather has enhancements, and even more privacy/security enhancements.

Future

Apple indeed never merged their iOS and macOS platform, but instead enmeshed their UI and features for such a high level of convenience/continuity that it feels like they are bits and pieces of each other. They remain adamant as ever on keeping them as separate products despite the user interface similarities and overlaps.

Rumors are flowing the next version of macOS could drop the entire Intel lineup altogether – hiking up the system requirements, which Apple hasn’t done in a few years since macOS Ventura. Intel Macs have received a far smoother transition than the PowerPC platform did, as the current version of macOS still supports the intel platform.

We are 5 years into the Apple Silicon transition, and unlike in the Intel era we are receiving more than one update after the announcement after the processor architecture transition. PowerPC Macs were left only with Leopard and some beta builds of Snow Leopard if willing.. while Intel Macs now enjoy their 5th OS release post-announcement.

Times are different of course, and some Intel Macs were released in 2020. Generally Macs enjoy 5 years of hardware support although some have received support for longer. Will we see another yet final release of macOS for the intel platform, or will Sequoia be the last stop on the x86 train?