App Store URL suggests next MacOS upgrade not version 11, Apple sticking with 10.13

Posted:
in macOS
The first sign of Apple's next major release of macOS does not appear to be an increment to version 11, after a discovery of a catalog URL for the Mac App Store suggesting macOS 10.13 will be previewed to developers in the coming months.




Possibly the first indication of Apple's plans for macOS, Pike's Universum discovered the Catalog URL containing the text "10.13seed" hosted on Apple's servers, which AppleInsider confirms leads to a text file containing a list of downloads. It is presumably used by Apple to facilitate the macOS upgrade via the Mac App Store, but the contents do not as of yet provide any other clues.

The discovery isn't an explicit confirmation that Apple is going to use macOS 10.13 instead of macOS 11, as it is possible for the version number to change before it is released.




It is highly probable that Apple will reveal the answer during its annual Worldwide Developer Conference this June. Apple is likely to provide a preview of the macOS upgrade at the event, with developers able to download and install it onto Macs either during WWDC or shortly after it ends, and a public release later in the year.

It is unknown what to expect from the next full "point" macOS upgrade.

Apple is currently working on shipping the update to macOS Sierra 10.12.4, with the fourth beta released to developers in late February, alongside betas for iOS 10.3 and watchOS 3.2. In the most recent beta, macOS 10.12.4 has introduced Night Shift mode to the Mac, as well as expanding diction support to more languages, system APIs for handling PDF files, and assorted performance improvements and bug fixes.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    mtbnutmtbnut Posts: 199member
    Is this a sign that they're going to do a Snow Leopard-like under-the-hood maintenance update instead of a bunch of useless features that are nothing but eye candy only used to demonstrate how much skill the graphics team has at being able to make Finder windows fly around aimlessly ("Look at this useless Genie 2 effect we have planned for macOS Fresno!")? If so, I am all for it. </br><br/>

    Sierra Nevada? 
    edited March 2017 doozydozenbrucemcspice-boy
  • Reply 2 of 17
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,717member
    Access to the dock in full screen mode for drag & drop would be nice. 
    doozydozen
  • Reply 3 of 17
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    Um, when were tech pundits speculating the next macOS update to be a major release (macOS 11) and not business-as-usual point release (macOS 10.13)? I'm certainly not expecting a major release anytime soon. 
    JinTechrandominternetperson
  • Reply 4 of 17
    chabigchabig Posts: 641member
    mtbnut said:
    Is this a sign that they're going to do a Snow Leopard-like under-the-hood maintenance update...
    It's not a sign of anything. It's not even news. macOS is the name of the operating system. Version numbers have been 10.X since 2001. Nobody should be expecting anything else.
    doozydozenStrangeDaysrandominternetperson
  • Reply 5 of 17
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    mtbnut said:
    Is this a sign that they’re going to do a Snow Leopard-like under-the-hood maintenance update…

    Sierra Nevada? 
    Love the idea and the name.
    chabig said:
    Version numbers have been 10.X since 2001. Nobody should be expecting anything else.
    Well, not until 2021, at least.

    doozydozen
  • Reply 6 of 17
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    This OS doesn't go to 11?
    wonkothesane
  • Reply 7 of 17
    Since Apple is supposedly releasing a lot of hardware this year, I'm expecting just a maintenance release.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 8 of 17
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,020member
    Um, when were tech pundits speculating the next macOS update to be a major release (macOS 11) and not business-as-usual point release (macOS 10.13)? I'm certainly not expecting a major release anytime soon. 
    My thoughts exactly. 
    doozydozen
  • Reply 9 of 17
    Um, when were tech pundits speculating the next macOS update to be a major release (macOS 11) and not business-as-usual point release (macOS 10.13)? I'm certainly not expecting a major release anytime soon. 
    1. If anything should qualify as an 11-worthy upgrade, APFS should be it.

    2. Apple recently dropped the "X" from Mac OS X.

    3. iOS 11 is coming out soon, and bumping macOS to 11 would allow them to sync the version numbers up.

    I wouldn't write this one off just yet. The next macOS, whatever it may be called, hasn't even been announced yet, so its name is likely still in flux.
    edited March 2017 bonobobbonobob
  • Reply 10 of 17
    DanielEranDanielEran Posts: 290editor
    Um, when were tech pundits speculating the next macOS update to be a major release (macOS 11) and not business-as-usual point release (macOS 10.13)? I'm certainly not expecting a major release anytime soon. 
    1. If anything should qualify as an 11-worthy upgrade, APFS should be it.

    2. Apple recently dropped the "X" from Mac OS X.

    3. iOS 11 is coming out soon, and bumping macOS to 11 would allow them to sync the version numbers up.

    I wouldn't write this one off just yet. The next macOS, whatever it may be called, hasn't even been announced yet, so its name is likely still in flux.
    Apple purposely decoupled iOS version numbers from watchOS and tvOS, so it's not clear why it would want to sync up iOS and macOS in version numbers. But of course it could do that at any time, because version numbers are completely arbitrary. No Windows 9, Solaris 2.6 -> 7. Even MacOS 7.7 updates were rebranded 8 and 9 just to make up numbers to "X."
  • Reply 11 of 17
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    11 means some form of serious Compatibly issue between version 10.
    10.13 is a good thing.
  • Reply 12 of 17
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    They will go to 11 with A-series processor support...
    randominternetperson
  • Reply 13 of 17
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,274member
    "3. iOS 11 is coming out soon, and bumping macOS to 11 would allow them to sync the version numbers up." This is precisely what Apple wants to *avoid.* I expect we'll see 10.13, 10.14, 10.15 and etc until they get bored with or run out of California place names. They might have to give it up when 10.20 rolls around due to 10.2 confusion, but again by then only the nerdiest of nerds will know the version number. For everyone else, it will be "do you have Topanga Canyon yet?"
  • Reply 14 of 17
    spice-boyspice-boy Posts: 1,450member
    I'm waiting for Mac OS baker's dozen. 
  • Reply 15 of 17
    Um, when were tech pundits speculating the next macOS update to be a major release (macOS 11) and not business-as-usual point release (macOS 10.13)? I'm certainly not expecting a major release anytime soon. 
    Agreed.  A MAJOR upgrade would be to 10.20.xx.  Apple is going to be using 10.XX for a very long time.
  • Reply 16 of 17
    chasm said:
    "3. iOS 11 is coming out soon, and bumping macOS to 11 would allow them to sync the version numbers up." This is precisely what Apple wants to *avoid.* I expect we'll see 10.13, 10.14, 10.15 and etc until they get bored with or run out of California place names. They might have to give it up when 10.20 rolls around due to 10.2 confusion, but again by then only the nerdiest of nerds will know the version number. For everyone else, it will be "do you have Topanga Canyon yet?"
    We'll see soon, I suppose. Still, though, the main reason the first digit has been 10 for so long was because Apple was using the X as part of the brand name. They've now dropped that, so there's no real reason to keep that number around ad infinitum. And again, having finally upgraded the file system, this next release is going to be, from a technical standpoint, the most meaningful upgrade in years. If it were my decision, I'd say this is the perfect time for an 11.
    edited March 2017
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