Apple begins Mac OS X 10.7 development, MR claims
Apple has quietly begun development of Mac OS X 10.7, the next iteration of its OS and an as-yet completely unknown animal, MacRumors informs.
That Apple’s engineers are already hard at work figuring out what to do next with the lean, Intel-only software at the heart of the current Mac OS X ‘Snow Leopard’ OS is no great surprise. Work has to begin sometime, and Apple is a company known for a five or ten-year planning cycle.
MacRumors reports a post in a database of changes to the open source “launchd” framework, which “oversees booting of Mac OS X and administers processes running on the system”.
The post included a new build number - 11A47 - which MR explains is likely to indicate an initial version of Mac OS X 10.7.
So it looks like they’ve managed to create a software mechanism to boot the system - we’re curious what the new OS will offer.
We could speculate on this based on some of the emerging trends across the technology industry.
- We’d anticipate more Cloud features. These could include a far more discrete means by which to access, edit and use MobileMe content. These could also include applications - perhaps some of the iLife apps - hosted in the cloud. Iterations could also include access anywhere computing, which could equate to your Mac desktop and files accessed from anywhere on any platform using a Web browser.
- Processors: We know the current OS is Intel-only. Now Apple has stripped-down the code, working in performance and other enhancements, what next for the OS? New support for new processors and graphics units from the likes of ARM and Nvidia, all spiced up with a little PA Semi magic. After all, OpenCL and Grand Central Dispatch are strong foundations for an inherently faster and more stable 64-bit architecture.
What else can you imagine Apple’s R&D teams are exploring for deployment in the future of the Mac OS? Will we see first gleams of this at WWDC 2010? (We’d like the lost Tiger feature, the ability to send an SMS from your Address Book via a Bluetooth-connected mobile phone reintroduced, for example). Comment below.
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Comments (43)
Mac OS 10.7 LOLCat
uuuh indeed.
i hope i hope i hope i hope it will be called "Mac OS 10.7 Lolcat".
by the way: wow, who would have guessed they started with 10.7 development... when i woke up this morning i was for 100% sure they'd quit developing their operating systems forever! Well,....
"uuuh indeed"
Exactly... do we really need an article to know that? They actually should have started way before 10.6 was released. Speaking as a software engineer, we always have a team starting on newer versions of a particular software while the other teams continue working on the to-be-released version.
Lion ?
Fossa !
I personally would like Mac OS X Lynx. :D
Top Cat... or maybe 1 Cool Cat.
Ya know, I think Microsoft should name there O.S. after some group of varmints like ... Weasel or Packrat (all that legacy) or Skunk or Roadkill. Any suggestions?
They should call it ~~~~ Garfield
Could we finally get an iSCSI initiator, please...?
The cloud concept is fine for code but data remains on my server.
Please review the outdated finder concept.
Of course their working on 10.7. Their probably working on 10.8 too, or have the road map to get there. Their probably working on the 5th Generation iPhone too. All sarcastic-ness aside. This is fairly exciting.
Question is, how much will they offer 10.7 at? if they go back to $129 there will be a lot of Bitching. However, Snow Leopard mostly had under the hood improvements. So to go back to $129 for the upgrade you'd expect some major improvements or must have features. Otherwise, I guess a $29 price tag will be more justifiable.
I would expect Steve to make a brief announcement in January about the next OS, Name and possible Road Map. Without any actual info on the OS. That would be a nice jab and jump for Apple against WinBloz 7.
Fine comment indeed! In an effort to improve spelling, "their probably..." should be "they're probably...".
Since it's a "mature" operating system, they can probably safely go with Cougar.
Downside is, my MBP will start hitting on all those sexy young netbooks.
i'm expecting the marquee feature will be a 3D, physical desktop -- an answer to BumpTop.
Have you seen some people's desktops out there?
If you release something like Bumptop on a large number of computers, you know what will happen? My boss's desktop will look like a storage bin full of loose playing cards.
He'll be constantly digging around looking for the Email icon, which he's pretty sure was about halfway deep on the leftish side, but I'll have to help him, and I'll find it buried at the very bottom on the right side.
Your predictions are all wrong. They're not leaving Intel processors on the Mac side. All of their other devices? Yes. Macs stay with Intel. And Apple has shown little if any interest in hosting applications in the cloud. They use the cloud to store and share files/information. I don't understand the point of a cloud-based app. If I'm not in internet range it leaves my computer completely useless. This is a "trend" that will never truly take off.
There has been no mention of hardware but maybe if Apple decides to have GPS in all Macs, then maybe the cloud based apps will be possible and Mac thefts will be cut down :)
Since I use multiple monitors, I would like to see the menu for each application follow that application to the monitor that I am using. I don't like that I have to go to the main monitor to select a menu for an application that I am running on my secondary monitor. This seems like it would be a simple thing to accomplish.
Completely agree. I often use multiple monitors too and I find it very convenient that many Adobe programs just have their own menus inside the program window, so wherever the program is, the menu is. Same for Autodesk Maya. Final Cut Pro would be much less annoying to use if it had its own menu. It'd also be nice if they changed it from being a bunch of little windows that fly all over the place with exposé, to several customizable tabs inside a single window, like Premiere Pro or After Effects.
Completely agree. I often use multiple monitors too and I find it very annoying having to go the main monitor to do a simple task in a program on a second one. Some programs like Autodesk Maya have their own menus inside the program window, so wherever the app is, the menu is. Final Cut Pro would be much less annoying to use if it had its own menu. It'd also be nice if they changed it from being a bunch of little windows that fly all over the place with exposé, to several customizable tabs inside a single window, like Premiere Pro or After Effects.
True. I dig the concept of the single menu bar, but it falls apart with multiple monitors.
Take a look at DejaMenu. It pops up a context menu that mirrors the menu bar when you press an assigned keystroke (I actually assigned it to the Search button on my Logitech MX Revolution mouse which is even better).
Lets see, what's left to pick from:
Lion, Lynx, Cougar, Bobcat, Puma....
Can't think of any others and since there are only 3 more releases before OS 11 (WHAT HAPPENS THEN!?!?!??!), 10.7, 10.8, and 10.9 will probably be some combination of three of these five. Who wants to start a pool?
As Steve Jobs is so fond of saying, Apple likes "Big Cats" so I'm scratching Lynx and Bobcat and putting my money on 10.7 being Cougar, 10.8 being Puma, and saving Lion for 10.9.
By OS 11, they'll have pretty much run out of cat names. Who thinks they'll switch to dogs? Birds? Whales? Lizards? Or will they drop the animal thing altogether and just start picking names at random like Microsoft?
obviously you've forgotten that 10.1 was Puma... that leaves Cheetah, Cougar, and Lion, although i cant see apple releasing an OS X cougar...
Cheetah was OSX 10.2.
I think it should be Sabre-Tooth!
10.9 Lion - King of All Cats.
11.0 will be Wizard Names, like Rastlin, Fizban, Kimapia, or Giamia
10.9 Lion - King of All Cats.
11.0 will be Wizard Names, like Rastlin, Fizban, Kimapia, or Giamia
Mac OS X 10.7 Thundercat
Mac OS X 10.7 Cheetara
Here's what I personally think would be cool in Mac OS 10.7 (or any future release):
A) More 3d features in the graphics technologies: Currently, the bulk of the graphics technologies are mainly 2D with the only 3D framework only being Open GL. Adding more 3D-program-like capabilities would surely make Mac graphics even more stunning.
B) More integration between the graphics technologies of Mac OS X: Currently the integration of different forms of media is becoming more prevelent. Therefore, why shouldn't the world's greatest operating system do the same?
C) More interfacing: Not only should Mac OS X implement multi-touch technology, but it should implement more ways to interface human interaction and concrete contraptions with the virtual world.
Just my two cents. That's all...
Here's what I personally think would be cool in Mac OS 10.7 (or any future release):
A) More 3d features in the graphics technologies: Currently, the bulk of the graphics technologies are mainly 2D with the only 3D framework only being Open GL. Adding more 3D-program-like capabilities would surely make Mac graphics even more stunning.
B) More integration between the graphics technologies of Mac OS X: Currently the integration of different forms of media is becoming more prevelent. Therefore, why shouldn't the world's greatest operating system do the same?
C) More interfacing: Not only should Mac OS X implement multi-touch technology, but it should implement more ways to interface human interaction and concrete contraptions with the virtual world.
Just my two cents. That's all...