- If you're running an older version of Mac OS there may be conflicts with the game you're trying to run. To update Mac OS: Click on the Apple in the upper left corner of the screen; Select Software Update. Any updates available will be listed and are recommended for all Mac OS users.
- The first release of the new OS — Mac OS X Server 1.0 — used a modified version of the Mac OS GUI, but all client versions starting with Mac OS X Developer Preview 3 used a new theme known as Aqua. Aqua was a substantial departure from the Mac OS 9 interface, which had evolved with little change from that of the original Macintosh operating.
This tip replaces version 2126 originally released on the Discussions Feedback forum.
Mac OS X only: If you don't want to install a whole other piece of software to see today's date in your menubar, you can add it manually in System Preferences. It's not an obvious checkbox.
Find the serial number on:
Date Quartet Mac Os Download
Plug your serial number in at this link:
Do not use third party links as they may not be secure.
Do not post the serial number on this board, as that is your key to any support you may have left.
Use this tip also to help figure out which portion of the Support Community to post in, as this tip explains:
When you have no serial number, use one of these third party sites to find your model, production year, time in year
(early, middle, late, summer, fall, winter, spring):
Note:
PowerMac, PowerPC, eMac, iMac PPC, iBook (Apple recycled the name iBook for its eBook application on new Macs and iOS devices), Powerbook, Classic all refer to Macs that are older than the present series
of Macs. Posting in those forums about a current Mac, shows you have not researched your Mac sufficiently to get a succinct answer to your query. Apple menu -> About This Mac will tell you the Mac OS version or System version you are running. The X in the version is important, and so is the preceding 10 in the version if it exists.
Questions saying X.1 could refer to Mac OS X 10.13.1, 10.1. Don't truncate the version you see.
One small step (abird) mac os.
There are no iOS forums specific to the operating system found on iPads, iPod Touch, AppleTV, Apple Watch, and iPhones. Figure out the type of portable device you are running to ask a question about that device specifically.
Apple has these identifying articles as well:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3255 - MacBook Air
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1635 - MacBook
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4132 - MacBook Pro
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3476 - Mac Mini
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6069 - Mac Pro
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1758 - iMac
http://support.apple.com/kb/sp96 and http://support.apple.com/kb/sp37 - PowerMac G5
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA25585 and http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3082 - PowerMac G4
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22033 - PowerMac G3
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3065 - Powerbook G4
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2395 - eMac
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2287 - Powerbook G3
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1772 - iBook
Macs generally will not run an older Mac OS X operating system than shipped with them.
The one exception is virtualizing 10.6 Server on 10.7 or later, which is described later.
Also important to note is that the Apple App Store only has 10.7, 10.8, and 10.12, except for those who purchased in between systems, and have a Mac that shipped with in between systems. For all others if you need an in between system, and your Mac is older, contact the App Store tech support.
A quick upgrade guide has been posted on
These dates are important for recognizing what Mac OS X will run on Macs. Macs released on or after (including their model #s or name
where known):
September 30, 2018 will only run 10.14 or later
• MacBook Air 8,x
• Mac Mini 8,x
September 25, 2017 will only run 10.13 or later.
- iMac Pro 1,1
- MacBook Pro 15,x (2018 model)
June 5, 2017 Mac models (all 2017 Models except iMac Pro) will only run 10.12.5 or later
• MacBook Pro 14,x
• MacBook Air 7,2
• MacBook 10,1• iMac 18,x
September 20, 2016 will only run 10.12 or later.
- MacBook Pro with touchbar (instead of physical F keys)
- MacBook Pro 13,x
- iMac 18,x
- MacBook Air 7,2 see this article on which ones could only run 10.12 or later.
September 30, 2015 will only run 10.11 or later. These Macs are the first Macs that can be upgraded directly to
Mac OS 10.14 without installing any other software.
- iMac 16,x and 17,x
- Macbook 9,x (these Macbooks came with the USB-C, instead of the USB 2 or USB 3 connector. USB 3 and 2 look identical on the outside, use System Profiler to determine which you have)
October 16, 2014 will only run 10.10 or later (10.10 is only available for Macs that shipped with it).
- MacBook Air 7,1 and 7,2 (some models could only run 10.12 or later).
- Mac Mini 7,x
- iMac MF885LL/A came with 10.10.2. All other 15,x came with 10.10.0
- MacBook 8,x - the oldest that can run Mac OS 10.14 with this model name after installing 10.11 or later.
- MacBook Pro 11,4 and 11,5
October 22, 2013 will only run 10.9 or later (10.9 is only available for Macs that shipped with it).
- Macbook Pro 11,1 through 11,3
- Mac Pro 6,x
- MacBook Air Early 2014
- Mac Mini 6,x
- iMac 14,4
June 25, 2012 will only run 10.8 or later. 10.8 through 10.11 are supported by these Macs [indicate machine ID found in profiler], and newer models may run some variety of 10.9, 10.10, or 10.11):
- MacBook Pro with Retina EMC 2557 from 2012 and 2013 and later models.
- MacBook Air (2013 or newer) [6,1]
- MacBook Air (Mid 2013 or newer) [6,1]
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer) [6,1] - the oldest that can run 10.14 after installing 10.11 or later.
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer) [13,1]
- Mac Pro (Late 2013) [6,1]
These models above are the first models that can be upgraded directly to High Sierra 10.13 without other prior upgrades.
The oldest MacBook Air and iMac that can run Mac OS 10.14 after installing 10.11.
• MacBook Air 5,1
• iMac 12,1
These Macs which are older can also be upgraded to 10.12 by upgrading to 10.7.5 first, and 10.13 by upgrading to 10.8 first:
- MacBook (Late 2009 or newer) 6,1
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer) 6,1
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer) 3,1.
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer) 4,1
- iMac (Late 2009 or newer) 10,1
- Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer) 5,1
The Macs are compatible with 10.8 and later from prior 10.8's release
- Mac Pro (Early 2008 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2012) [3,1]-[5,1] (Earlier Mac Pros are discussed on the 10.8 upgrade tip).
- MacBook Late 2008 [5,1] to mid 2010 [7,1] with no Pro or Air in the name.
- iMac (Early 2009 to mid-2011) [9,1] to [12,1]
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 to mid 2011) [4,1] to [5.1]
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 to mid-2012 [3,1]-[5,2]
- MacBook Pro Late 2008 [5,1] to Retina 2012 that are not EMC 2557.
July 20, 2011 will only run 10.7 or later. The model IDs (x,x) and EMC that fit this description until June 25, 2012 release of 10.8 (excluding the ones which will run only 10.8 or later earlier mentioned) :
iMac of an EMC of 2496; 13,x and later.
Mac Mini 5,x and later.
Macbook Air 4,x and later.
Mac Os Mojave
MacBook 8,x and later (no Pro no Air in the name)
Mac Pro 5,1 with EMC 2629 - the oldest that can be have Mac OS 10.14 installed after installing 10.11 or later, those without that EMC number came with 10.6 and can also be updated to 10.14 the same manner; 6,x and later.
MacBook Pro with EMC 2555, 2563; 9,x and later.
Note all the Macs that can only run 10.7 and later, may be able to run 10.6 Server with Parallels, if you need compatibility with an older operating system:
Beyond this point Macs released during certain date ranges also have a maximum operating system, and/or
minimum retail operating system and system specific operating system requirement (when I say up to 10.9 that includes all incremental updates):
Note: images shown below for retail operating system are those that have no 'Update, Dropin, or OEM' wording on them.
March 15, 2010-July 19, 2011 will only run prebundled 10.6 installer disc, and not retail, but also able to be upgraded to 10.9. Note this tip
if upgrading to 10.7 or later: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
August 28, 2009-March 14, 2010 will only 10.6 or later up to 10.9. And will at minimum be able to use
10.6.3 retailto install 10.6. Note this tip if upgrading to 10.7 or later: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
During 2000 to 2009, the serial number also made it easier to identify the Macs, as the 3rd, 4th, and 5th character of the serial number referred to the week
and year of the shipment date. Thus for serial numbers where x can be any letter or number, xxABCxxxxx serial numbers would refer to an A which is the last digit of the year, and BC=week of the year. xx905xxxx is the fifth week of 2009. You can then use Wikipedia to figure out what date the release was, and if it was after a specific retail release of an operating system to determine which pre bundled disc it came with, and which later retail discs the Mac could work with.
December 15, 2008-August 28, 2009 will only run prebundled 10.5 installer disc, and 10.6 retail https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/43236040snow.jpg, and if on https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3761
will also run up to Mac OS X 10.11 if you follow this tip: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
October 28, 2007 -December 14, 2008 will at minimum be able to use the 10.5.6 retail, and install up to 10.9 if included on https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3761 if you follow this tip https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6271
January 10, 2006-October 27, 2007 will at minimum be able to 10.5 retail, and if
on Which 10.5 systems can upgrade to 10.8 or 10.9?or Are there 10.4 systems that can upgrade to 10.8 or 10.9? are
able to run 10.9. Core2Duo and Xeon can upgrade to a minimum of 10.7.5. Otherwise if they only have a CoreDuo, CoreSolo Intel
processor only be able to upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6.8. G5, G4, and G3 processors are not Intel.
Earlier dates are covered on this tip:Can I download my Mac OS upgrade?
Using the dates from the above documents, and the dates according to Wikipedia when specific retail
operating system systems were released, you can find which retail releases were newer than the Macs and the ones immediately older.
i.e.:
An October 24, 2011 Macbook Pro will only run 10.8 retail, and 10.9 retail downloads, but needs an
AppleCare requested 10.7 installer to install 10.7. An exception exists in 10.6 Server, as indicated here:
A pre-October 26, 2007 MacBook Pro will only run the system specific Mac OS X 10.4 installer
that shipped with it, which can be ordered from AppleCare, or newer retail installer versions
of 10.5, 10.6 compatible with its hardware, and 10.7 if it is at least a Core2Duo.
CoreDuo, nor is CoreSolo is not compatible with 10.7.
For PowerPC Macs, Mac OS X 10.4.11 and earlier offer Classic compatibility, and on certain 2003 and earlier Macs dual booting on Mac OS X 10.5 & Mac OS 9:
No Mac may run an older version of Mac OS 9 than was prebundled with it.
A more precise timeline of Mac OS X follows (in U.S. date notation. Links to relevant articles up to 10.7 are included, as 10.7 drops PowerPC applications on Intel):
4/8/2015 10.10.3 (with supplemental on 4/16/2015)
1/27/2015 10.10.2
The horrors of more mac os. 11/17/2014 10.10.1
10/16/2014 10.10 Yosemite
9/17/2014 10.9.5
6/30/2014 10.9.4
5/15/2014 10.9.3
2/25/2014 10.9.2
10/22/2013 10.9 (10.9 & 10.9.1 should be skipped due to security issues) Mavericks
10/3/2013 10.8.5 supplemental update
9/25/2013 10.8.4 iMac Late 2013
6/10/2013 10.8.4 MacBook Air mid 2013
6/4/2013 10.8.4
3/14/2013 10.8.3
11/29/2012 10.8.2 Mac MIni Late 2012
10/4/2012 10.8.2 supplemental update
10/4/2012 10.7.5 supplemental update
8/23/2012 10.8.1
7/25/2012 10.8 Mountain Lion
5/9/2012 10.7.4
2/1/2012 10.7.3
10/12/2011 10.7.2
8/16/2011 10.7.1
7/25/2011 10.6.8 v1.1
5/4/2011 10.6.7 Early 2011 MacBook Pro
3/21/2011 10.6.7
1/6/2011 10.6.6
11/10/2010 10.6.5
6/15/2010 10.6.4
4/13/2010 10.6.3 v1.1
4/1/2010 10.6.3 retail installer presently sold at the online Apple Store.
8/28/2009 10.6 retail installer (Snow Leopard)
12/15/2008 10.5.6 retail installer (Last PowerPC installer)
6/30/2008 10.5.4 retail installer
11/15/2007 10.5.1 retail installer
10/26/2007 10.5 retail installer (Leopard)
8/7/2006 Mac Pro (Intel, first Snow Leopard compatible professional desktop) replaces PowerMac G5 (the last PowerPC Mac and Mac capable of running Classic)
5/16/2006 The MacBook replaces the iBook (the last consumer notebook capable of running Classic)
4/3/2006 10.4.6 retail PowerPC only.
2/28/2006 First Intel Mac Mini (not capable of running Classic, first Mac)
1/10/2006 First Intel iMacs, MacBook Pro replaces Powerbook (first Macs not capable of running Classic, first Mac capable of running Snow Leopard)
10/31/2005 10.4.3 retail PowerPC only.
8/9/2004 10.3.5 retail
12/17/2003 10.3.2 retail
12/19/2002 10.2.3 Suggestion box mac os.
Some hints about operating systems:
- Mac OS X 10.8 or later are required to sync with iOS 9.2 or 9.2.1.
- No PowerPC Mac can run Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher, or sync with iOS 6 or higher.
- No PowerPC Mac can run Boot Camp
- No Mac can run Classic (side by side Mac OS 9 with Mac OS X without reboot) on the same partition as Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.
- No Intel Mac can run Classic.
- All Intel Macs can run at least Mac OS X 10.6.8 as long as they are older than Mac OS X 10.7's release.
- PowerPC applications need Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier to run on Intel Macs.
- Boot Camp needs Mac OS X 10.5 or later on Intel Macs. Note other virtualization tools are available for Mac OS X 10.4.11 or earlier on Intel Macs.
- Mac OS X 10.7.3 is needed for the latest Java and minimum iCloud.
- The same minimum system requirements exist for Mac OS X 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, and 10.11.
- 10.6.6 is the minimum for the Mac App Store, and upgrading to 10.7 without erasing the drive you install 10.7 on if the hardware supports it.
- 10.6.8 is the minimum for 10.8 or later upgrades if the hardware supports it.
- Apple has a 10.6.8 to 10.11 updateon the App Store.
Date Quartet Mac Os Catalina
- Some Macs that shipped with 10.6 can install up to 10.12 if they are upgraded to 10.7.5 first.
After remaining in the 10th iteration of Mac OS from 2001 to 2020, Apple moved to macOS 11 with Big Sur. Over its lifetime, Apple has made considerable improvements to the performance, security, and functionality of the software, making it one of the most robust and user-friendly operating systems around.
● Operating System for Mac and MacBook
● Started as Mac OS in 1984
● Mac OS X shipped March 2001
● Unix-based OS
● Major releases originally named after big cats
● Now named after California locations
Apple's macOS is the operating system that runs on the company's Mac lineup. The software, which is free to update for all Mac and MacBook owners, handles system functions, applications, and hardware controls.
Apple designed macOS to run as optimally as possible on the company's hardware. It also connects to Apple's online services, including the Mac App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, and related services. It includes considerable security protections to keep users and their data safe from harm.
Based on Unix at its core, macOS is a flexible operating system. Power users will appreciate its configurable aspects, such as Terminal commands or server-based applications. However, it's also friendly towards more casual users, gaining many iOS features and visual design cues through the years.
macOS started as Mac OS, which launched in 1984. It underwent multiple major releases until the final version under the initial name, Mac OS 9, shipped to customers in 1999.
Apple changed its naming policy with the launch of Mac OS X, known colloquially as OS X, in March 2001. After that release, Apple kept the major version number at 10 for nearly two decades. Instead of changing the major version number, Apple used a following minor number to indicate annual upgrade releases, such as version 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3.
In 2016, Apple altered how it referred to the operating system. Still known as Mac OS or OS X prior to that, the company switched to macOS. This matched the naming pattern of its other operating systems, including iOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
Apple's 10.X naming scheme changed with macOS Big Sur's arrival in 2020. Apple finally retired the old naming scheme and called Big Sur version 11.
As well as the official name and version number, Apple has also altered the release title for each over time. From the release of Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah until OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple referred to the operating system by the name of a big cat. Starting with OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Apple switched the naming convention to refer to California landmarks. The company has continued to do so since then.
macOS 11 Big Sur
Apple announced macOS Big Sur at WWDC 2020 and released the new OS in November 2020. The operating system was redesigned with new textured icons, colorful sidebars, and more transparent and curvy elements. The design changes make the Mac look much like iPadOS than ever before.
Big Sur also begins to move the Mac away from Intel chips to custom Apple Silicon, including the new M1 chip.
Apple offers several tools to help developers make the transition. All iOS and iPadOS apps can run on Apple Silicon natively, though developers can opt out of offering them in the Mac App Store. Developers can also easily upgrade their mobile apps to be more Mac-like with Mac Catalyst.
The first Apple Silicon-running Macs, including updated models of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini, use Rosetta 2 for non-optimized apps. This virtualization software runs Intel apps on M1 Macs, at speeds similar to how they'd run on Intel Macs. Rosetta 2 helps both users and developers transition away from Intel.
Apple updated Safari in the new version with more privacy and security protections. Apple has made third-party extensions work with Safari even if they were built for Chrome. The ability to translate webpages is now a built-in function and works entirely on-device.
Messages is now a Mac Catalyst app that has feature parity with its iOS counterpart. Users can send message effects and Tapbacks, and tag users in a group chat just like in iOS 14 for iPhone.
Released on October 7, 2019, macOS 10.15 Catalina introduced significant improvements to app handling.
A major change in Catalina was Apple's decision to end support for 32-bit apps, requiring developers to rework their apps into 64-bit versions to continue functioning properly. Not all developers elected to migrate their apps, forcing some users to choose between abandoning vintage apps or upgrading to Catalina.
Another chief change is the removal of iTunes, in favor of new apps that replace the majority of its functions. New apps for Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV spread iTunes' core functions across apps that correspond to iOS counterparts. Another iTunes feature, iOS device backup duties, is now found in the Finder.
10.15.1 introduced new emoji, support for the AirPods Pro, AMD Navi RDNA graphics cards in eGPU enclosures, alteration to the Photos app, and an option to opt in to Siri reviews.
10.15.2 made refinements to the Apple News, Stocks, Photos, Mail, and other apps, as well as fixes for issues in the Photos and Mail apps.
10.15.3 improved multi-stream video editing performance for HEVC and H.264-encoded video on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, along with Pro Display XDR optimizations.
10.15.4 added improved support for HDR-compatible monitors and added reference modes for the Pro Display XDR.
Out on September 24, 2018, macOS 10.14 Mojave's main new feature was dark mode, an alternate user interface. Users can switch between dark and light modes, and the theme can also change on a schedule via Dynamic Desktop.
Apple ported several iOS apps to macOS, including a News app, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home for managing HomeKit. Vegas slot machines online. The initiative was part of 'Project Marzipan,' to enable iOS-developed apps to function in macOS with few changes. This initial quartet of apps demonstrated the concept to users and developers.
On the desktop, Stacks are an organization method for files in the workspace. Stacks piles up similar files into grouped collections automatically. Continuity Camera allows for photographs taken on an iPhone to be transferred instantly into a macOS application.
Day and night mode change your app appearance
10.14.1 consisted of new emoji, security enhancements and bug fixes, along with Group FaceTime.
10.14.2 provided security and bug fixes, a description matched by macOS 10.14.3.
10.14.4 added integration with the just-launched Apple News+ subscription service, in the Apple News app. Support for second-generation AirPods, Safari Autofill for MacBooks with Touch ID hardware, air quality index readings in Maps, and real-time text for phone calls made through a nearby iPhone were among the other changes.
10.14.5 was largely a maintenance update, though included fixes relating to AirPlay 2 support. 10.14.6 continued the security and bug fix theme.
Released on September 9, 2017, macOS 10.13 High Sierra included a major change for storage, with macOS switching over to the Apple File System, APFS. Intended to take advantage of the use of Flash and SSD storage, Apple built AFPS with encryption and enhanced security in mind. The company designed it to work with all Apple platforms, including watchOS, iOS, tvOS, and macOS.
The addition of Metal 2 included driver optimizations that brought up to 10 times better draw call throughput for graphics work, more debugging tools, and a migrated Mac Window Server.
Other notable items include the migration of H.264 to H.265/HEVC to better work with 4K and HDR content. It added faster and more power-efficient Safari. Apple's browser also added increased privacy protection, including Intelligent Tracking Prevention.
High Sierra was the last version to support 32-bit apps 'without compromises,' with Apple continuing its push to get developers over to making 64-bit apps.
10.13.1 added 70 new emoji, a fix to a Bluetooth bug involving Apple Pay, reliability improvements to Microsoft Exchange message encryption, a Spotlight input fix, and the patching of assorted KRACK wi-fi vulnerabilities.
10.13.2 was largely a maintenance release, improving compatibility for some USB audio devices, VoiceOver navigation while viewing PDFs, and a fix for a Root account generation flaw.
10.13.3 included relatively small updates, including an issue where Messages conversations were temporarily stored out of order.
10.13.4 incorporated a warning to users if they are running 32-bit apps and the launch of official eGPU support.
10.13.5 added support for Messages in iCloud, allowing conversations to be synchronized between multiple Apple devices.
10.13.6 delivered support for AirPlay 2, along with a variety of stability and security improvements.
Available to end users on September 20, 2016, macOS 10.12 Sierra heralded the introduction of Siri on Mac, bringing Apple's digital assistant to the desktop. Sierra also added a cross-platform clipboard synchronization with iOS and iCloud file synchronization between iOS and macOS.
The update added Picture in Picture feature, familiar to iOS users. It also included rich Messages that moved closer to iOS messaging, changes to Photos, Apple Pay for the web, and auto-unlock via Apple Watch.
10.12.1 added iPhone 7 Photos compatibility fixes, Safari security enhancements, and fixes to Microsoft Office and Exchange issues, among other changes.
10.12.2 improved the setup and reliability of Auto Unlock, Touch Bar screenshot support, and a wide variety of fixes and improvements.
10.12.3 improved automatic graphics switching on the 2016 MacBook Pro 15-inch, a fix for PDF corruption, and MacBook Pro battery drain issues in Safari.
10.12.4 added Night Shift, new PDFKit APIs, cricket scores to Siri, and more options for iCloud Analytics.
10.12.5 solved stuttering audio issues for USB headphones, a 'media-free' installation of the Windows 10 Creators Update using Boot Camp, and enhancements to the Mac App Store for compatibility with 'future software updates.'
10.12.6 largely consisted of a maintenance update.
Apple's 2015 update focused less on marquee features and more on performance enhancements and subtle refinements. Apple released macOS 10.11 El Capitan on September 30, 2015.
The update added macOS support for Apple's Metal API. Metal is a low-level API that helps developers optimize their apps' 3D graphics. Today, it's still used across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS.
It also introduced Apple's San Francisco system font, which it still uses today across its platforms. Apple gave Mission Control, the window and desktop quick-view app, a makeover with a cleaner design.
El Capitan brought new window-management options, including a green button that can move an app either into full-screen or Split View, a side-by-side multitasking feature also available on iPad.
The update enhanced Spotlight search, added Safari pinned sites and a mute button, and a modernized Notes app.
Apple gave its desktop software a new look with its 2014 update, OS X Yosemite. Version 10.10 redesigned various elements, including updated toolbars and translucent window elements.
Yosemite added the Today view in Notification center, which showed a customizable series of widgets. The Today view lived in a separate panel from notifications. Apple eventually killed the Today view in Big Sur, which integrated widgets into the same panel as grouped notifications.
The 2014 update also saw the launch of iCloud Drive, the file storage system built into Finder that serves as a rival to Dropbox and Google Drive. iCloud Drive didn't become ubiquitous across Apple's platforms until 2017, when the Files app launched on iOS and iPadOS.
Handoff launched during this software generation, on Yosemite and iOS 7. The feature allows you to pick up immediately where you left off when changing devices. Handoff adds user convenience and ecosystem stickiness, as the perk can encourage users to go all-in on Apple hardware.
Safari in Yosemite added the Favorites view and Tab view, and search-engine support for DuckDuckGo. Mail first supported Markup for filling out forms and annotating PDFs in Yosemite, and Messages gained a new look.
Apple released OS X Mavericks on October 22, 2013. The updated added iCloud Keychain, Apple Maps, and iBooks, which is now called Apple Books.
Mavericks also updated Safari, enhanced multi-display support, and added tabs and tags to Finder.
The update also included performance-enhancing and battery-boosting updates under the hood.
