Those who believe Apple intends to rename OS X to “MacOS” received some temporary encouragement, as Apple on Thursday posted a webpage that refers to the Mac operating system as “MacOS.” That reference has since been removed.
The term can be found on an FAQ page within Apple’s Environment subsite, specifically in a section about greenhouse gases and product lifecycles. The text is the only direct reference to either Macs or OS X in the FAQ — notably, the rest of Apple’s website still appears to insist on using “OS X.”
Late March saw the discovery of a framework in OS X 10.11.4 that refers to “macOS.” If Apple was to post a reference to “MacOS” on a public-facing website, that would imply such a change is actually on the way.
Or, as it looks now, it may have simply been an error on a copywriter’s part, as the website now mentions “OS X,” just like the rest of Apple’s site. (Or… That’s just what they WANT you to think… – Our suspicious editor.)
While such a name change would align Apple’s Mac operating system branding with their other operating systems: iOS, watchOS, and tvOS, nothing concrete has been found to indicate the company is planning such a move, other than a mention in code, and a now removed reference on their website.
If the company has any plans to rename OS X to ‘MacOS,” or “macOS,” they’ll likely make any such announcement at their Worldwide Developers Conference in June. So, just sit back and keep your toes toasty on the rumor fire we’ve all built, and wait and see.
