Rumor: Mac OS Leopard to change name to “Mac OS Now”?


File this squarely in the “take it with a grain of salt” category, but I just received a tip from an Apple Employee that says:

“Mac OS Leopard name changed to Mac OS Now to indicate a leap in its development rather then just hinting on a small update”

You guys know how I feel about all the rumors floating around with nothing to back them up…and I normally wouldn’t even post something like this, but I thought it might spark some interesting conversation….

Because it raises and interesting question….are the cat names getting old? I don’t really think Leopard needs a name change, but I do think the cat thing is starting to drag a bit. OS X is feeling kind of “stale” these days…not to say that it isn’t the best OS out there…because it is…it just hasn’t really had that face lift that I think it needs just yet…and I’m hoping that Leopard will be it…and I wouldn’t be opposed to a name change, but something about “Mac OS Now” just sounds a little too Microsoft to me…what do you think?

UPDATE: As suspected, this is complete crap…


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

22 Comments

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  1. I dun think the name will change, nor do I think the cat names are getting old. They are codenames afterall. Besides I think Leopard will have a massive jump compared to the other ones. But I don’t think it will change from 10.5 to a random name. Especially when MS decides they are done with it and are going to name their OS’ with just numbers.

  2. I don’t see why this could’nt be real. But I bet it is a name for one of the technologies or software features they will be debuting rather than the name of the OS.

  3. No, awful name, MAC OS X Now, Leopard is just a perfect name.
    I think in the future, at the time when 11.0 will arrive, they might choose a name which is not an animal.

  4. I think Apple has invested a LOT on branding with all the X thingy, why change it now (not pun intended)? xD

  5. We have a coal black tomcat we call “Umlaut”. I will gladly give Apple the right to use a picture of him if they will name the successor to Leopard after our cat.

  6. Now rhymes with WOW! I believe WOW! is a Microsoft Trademark.

    I agree with Calvon. They should name the next version Tomcat.

  7. This is obviously nonsense because “Now” would be the stupidest name for an OS since Microsoft came up with “Me”. Then again, I think “MacBook” sounds pretty stupid, too…

  8. dumb…. kiss principle is the only way to go.

    3.1 95 98 CE NT XP VISTA …what a mess (I probably got that all wrong too)

    10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 …give it a cat name if you want but underneath it’s logical, clear

  9. “3.1 95 98 CE NT XP VISTA …what a mess (I probably got that all wrong too)”

    Yes, you forgot “Me”! And also “2000”. (Gee I guess back in ’95 Microsoft was incapable of looking ahead all of five years and realising that a four digit year should be the standard.) Now ‘Windows 2000’ comes before ‘Windows 95’ in any sort order. So let’s say that I had a series of historical ‘tips documents’ or ‘installation guides’ for various Windows operating systems. It’s impossible to sort these by recency unless I fix what Microsoft broke in the way I name them.

  10. So let’s say that I had a series of historical ‘tips documents’ or ‘installation guides’ for various Windows operating systems. It’s impossible to sort these by recency unless I fix what Microsoft broke in the way I name them.

    for that reason alone….. how many millions must M$ spend in organising their knowledge base because of obscure naming conventions

  11. oh and to the guy above me: since when is “sort order” of relevance when you name your new products? Does OS X sort chronologically when you sort by its cat names?

  12. To Tom

    X is the roman numeral for 10 so it makes perfect sense to call it that.

    You are right, “ME” does stand for millenium edition but it’s still an exampe of MS trying to be clever with a double meaning in its naming – rather pathetic IMHO