Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Mac OS X. I wrote a bit about it in my Macworld column this week, and also put together a little Mac OS X timeline.
- The first two releases of Mac OS X shared the same wallpaper. The sweeping blue arcs and curves helped set the tone of the new Aqua interface. Download 5K version. Download 6K version. Jaguar took the same Aqua-inspired theme but added some depth and motion to things.
- The Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar is an operating system that was designed, developed, and sold by Apple from 2002 to 2003 alongside Apple’s personal computers. The system has been released on August 23, 2002, and was available for $129 or was preinstalled on currently sold computers.
- In the Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar section, the main reason it felt faster was that Jaguar was the first macOS to utilise the GPU for the GUI, letting the CPU carry on with other tasks, thus the system itself became faster and more responsive.
I’ve written a lot about Mac OS X over the years. Compiling that timeline reminded me of that. I was a features editor at Macworld when Apple began shipping OS X precursors, and so I edited most of our early coverage. Beginning with Mac OS X 10.1, I wrote most of Macworld’s big feature stories covering each release.
I’ve lived in the same house since 1999, so I have spent many springs and summers sitting out in my yard under our redwood tree writing and editing articles about Mac OS X, OS X, and now macOS.
How many? This many:
- OS X Prehistory (compiled by me from multiple Macworld features)
Wow, that’s a lot of operating-system releases. Here’s to the next uncountable number of them.
(While I wrote shorter reviews for Macworld, John Siracusa was always reviewing OS X at length for Ars Technica. Here’s a list of all his reviews.)
Mac OS X Jaguar (version 10.2) is the third major release of Mac OS X (now named macOS), Apple's desktop and server operating system. It superseded Mac OS X 10.1 and preceded Mac OS X Panther. The operating system was released on August 23, 2002 either for single-computer installations, and in a “family pack,” which allowed five installations on separate computers in one household.
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Every major version of Mac OS X macOS has come with a new default wallpaper. As you can see, I have collected them all here.
While great in their day, the early wallpapers are now quite small in the world of 5K and 6K displays.
If you want to see detailed screenshots of every release of OS X, click here.
If you are looking for Mac OS 9 wallpapers, this page is for you.
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10.0 Cheetah & 10.1 Puma
The first two releases of Mac OS X shared the same wallpaper. The sweeping blue arcs and curves helped set the tone of the new Aqua interface.
Download 5K version.
Download 6K version.
10.2 Jaguar
Jaguar took the same Aqua-inspired theme but added some depth and motion to things. In my head, the trails streaking across the screen were from a set of comets.
Download 5K version.
Download 6K version.
10.3 Panther
While Panther inflicted Macs everywhere with Brushed Metal, its wallpaper stayed on brand, refreshing the original 10.0 image.
Download 5K version.
Download 6K version.
10.4 Tiger
Many consider Tiger to be the best “classic” version of Mac OS X. While that may or may not be true, it is my favorite Aqua-inspired wallpaper.
Download 5K version.
Download 6K version.
10.5 Leopard
Mac Os X Jaguar Release Date
Complete with a revised, unified user interface and shiny new Dock, 10.5 broke the Aqua mold. As such, Leopard was the first version of OS X to break from the Aqua-themed wallpaper. It ushered in the “space era” of OS X wallpapers, which was used heavily in the new Time Machine interface as well.
Download 5K version.
Download 6K version.
10.6 Snow Leopard
The “no new features” mantra for Snow Leopard didn’t ban a new wallpaper, thankfully. This starscape is still one of my favorites.
Download 5K version.
Download 6K version.
10.6 Snow Leopard Server
Mac Os X Jaguar Wallpaper
The server version of Snow Leopard came with its own unique wallpaper that is a real treat:
Download 5K version.
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10.7 Lion
Lion kept up the space theme, this time showing off the Andromeda galaxy. The space nerd in me likes the idea, but the execution of this one leaves dead-last on my list of favorites.
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Download 6K version.
10.8 Mountain Lion
Just like Snow Leopard before it, with Mountain Lion, Apple opted to clean up and revise the existing theme as opposed to changing directions for what would be a less-impactful release of OS X.
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Download 6K version.
10.9 Mavericks
Mavericks marked the beginning of Apple’s “California location” naming scheme for Mac releases. The wave depicted looks as intimidating as the ones in the famous surfing location.
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Download 6K version.
10.10 Yosemite
Yosemite brought another UI refresh to the Mac, making things flatter and more modern. The wallpaper ushered in a new era based on … well … mountains.
Download 5K version.
Download 6K version.
10.11 El Capitan
Named after a breathtaking spot in Yosemite National Park, El Capitan was a clean-up year after 10.10.
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10.12 Sierra
More mountains.
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10.13 High Sierra
Mac Os X 10.2 Iso
Even more mountains.
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10.14 Mojave
No more mountains! Mojave brought a new system-wide Dark Mode, and the OS shipped with two versions of its default wallpaper to match. Users could even have macOS slowly fade between the two background images over the course of the day.
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10.15 Catalina
macOS Catalina brought big changes to the Mac, including the ability to run iPad apps natively, opening the platform up to a much larger number of developers than ever before. Catalina shipped with multiple variants of its default wallpaper, and the ability to shift between them as time progresses throughout the day:
Download 6K versions:
macOS Big Sur
This version of macOS is such a big deal, Apple changed the version number to 11.0. It will be the OS that brings support for Apple Silicon-powered Macs, and features a brand new design.
Download 6K versions:
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