With each new major version of macOS comes a new name. Since 2013, versions of macOS have been named after beautiful places in California. So far we've had: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur. Next up is macOS 12. But what could the new operating system be called?
Over the past year, Apple has updated some brand names and abandoned others that could give a clue as to what macOS 12 will be called. First of all, Apple trademarked several names in 2013 and 2014 using shell companies. That's when the company started using locations in California for macOS. Yosemite, Sierra, El Capitan, and Big Sur were all included in that batch of trademarks. Names like "Diablo," "Condor," "Tiburon," "Farallon," "Miramar," "Rincon," "Pacific," "Redwood," "Shasta," "Grizzly," "Skyline," and "Redtail" were also included, but these have apparently been abandoned. Skyline was most recently abandoned on April 26. That leaves two possible names. Both were recently renewed by Apple for use in computer operating system categories. Those two names are "Monterey" and "Mammoth."
macOS 12 "Mammoth"
Mammoth was actually just updated by Apple on April 29th of this year. It's the most recent name in Apple's portfolio. Mammoth would most likely be used to represent Mammoth Lakes, California. FYI: Mammoth Lakes is a ski resort near a beautiful lake in the Sierra Mountains, not far from Yosemite. So it would be a great name for the next macOS, right?
macOS 12 "Monterey"
The "Monterey" trademark, however, was renewed on December 29, 2020. There are actually several reasons for this name. One of them is the fact that Big Sur belongs to Monterey. Furthermore, we've already observed that Apple likes to group new operating systems that contain fewer new features together. We remember Sierra and High Sierra, or Yosemite and El Capitan. Monterey would therefore be the perfect name for a successor to Big Sur, one that focuses on refining the major changes from last year. Be that as it may. Of course, it can't be ruled out that Apple will choose a completely different name. But both "Monterey" and "Mammoth" are being considered as hot candidates. We'll find out what the next macOS generation will actually be called by Monday, June 7th at the latest. You can find out more about WWDC 2021 in our events section – enjoy browsing! (Photo by Wladimir.B / Bigstockphoto)
