macOS and OS X version code-names

News
By
last updated

From 2001 to 2012, OS X was code-named internally (for development purposes) after big cats. Becuase Apple marketing was also using those code-names to promote OS X publicly, however, the company's development crew switched their internal naming structure to wines beginning with OS X 10.3 — publicly known as Panther, privately as "Pinot." (Apple did make one exception for OS X 10.6, which never had a code-name beyond Snow Leopard.)

Though Apple's external code-names for OS X switched to California places in 2013, the internal code-names remained wine-based until 2014. In 2015, the development team switched to types of apples, with OS X 10.11 El Capitan (AKA "Gala").

In 2016, OS X officially became macOS, though Apple continued using California places as the external code names, and apple types as the internal code names. So far, this has remained the internal code name across the board.

  • OS X 10 beta: Kodiak
  • OS X 10.0: Cheetah
  • OS X 10.1: Puma
  • OS X 10.2: Jaguar
  • OS X 10.3 Panther (Pinot)
  • OS X 10.4 Tiger (Merlot)
  • OS X 10.4.4 Tiger (Intel: Chardonay)
  • OS X 10.5 Leopard (Chablis)
  • OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
  • OS X 10.7 Lion (Barolo)
  • OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion (Zinfandel)
  • OS X 10.9 Mavericks (Cabernet)
  • OS X 10.10: Yosemite (Syrah)
  • OS X 10.11: El Capitan (Gala)
  • macOS 10.12: Sierra (Fuji)
  • macOS 10.13: High Sierra (Lobo)
  • macOS 10.14: Mojave (Liberty)
  • macOS 10.15: Catalina (Jazz)
  • macOS 11: Big Sur (GoldenGate)
  • macOS 12: Monterey (Star)
Apple's code names

○ Apple version code names
○ iOS version code names
○ macOS and OS X version code-names
○ tvOS version code names
○ watchOS version code names
○ Apple car version code names

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.