Apple puts Mac OS X 10.7 on hold
Although development is continuing, a greatly reduced team is doing the work as the mothership focuses on finishing iPhone OS 4.0. Moreover, current rumor posits that Apple doesn’t have a firm schedule for their next major Mac OS update either.
Back on Jan. 23, there were reports of a big uptick in Mac OS X 10.7 generated Web traffic, as well as rumors that Apple would roll a developer beta at the company’s annual June Worldwide Developer Conference. Now, all of that appears to be on hold as the company races to ship to iPhone OS 4.0.
Daring Fireball reports that Apple’s tentative plans to release a beta of Mac OS X 10.7 to developers has been shelved and it’s all due to the iPhone.
A few months ago, I heard suggestions that Apple had tentative plans to release a developer beta of Mac OS X 10.7 at WWDC this June. That is no longer the case. Mac OS X 10.7 development continues, but with a reduced team and an unknown schedule. It’s my educated guess that there will be no 10.7 news at WWDC this year, and probably none until WWDC 2011.
Further, Apple isn’t just focussed on getting iPhone OS 4.0 out the door, they’re also readying version 4.1, which I suspect is the iPad version and that’s not due until the Fall.
So, where does that leave the rest of us? Somewhere after that…
What’s your take?
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April 13th, 2010
Steve Jobs focus is shifting in the twilight of his rein. He’s using his supreme wealth as a treatening weapon of control. Seeking to prove that Apple is the supreme force in the tech sector, and having failed to accomplish that with computers, he’s now focused on phones, gadgets and entertainment. His macs are slipping away as barely relevant except as fashion accessories.
April 13th, 2010
Dear Art: since the Mac is such a significant portion of Apple’s revenue, we can assume that Mr. Jobs has not suddenly become a short-sighted idiot and decided to jettison one of his cash cows in the “twilight of his *reign*.”
Mac OS and iPhone OS will have a symbiotic relationship for years to come. For now, with buzz growing about Android’s “explosive uptake,” this is the smart move.
Hell, this won’t even put 10.7′s release too far off the normal dev cycle, which has hovered around 18 months for the last few releases. Gruber is likely wrong: Apple has a knack for tossing out surprises, so expect something on 10.7 before the 2011 developer’s conference.
April 13th, 2010
I seriously disagree. Many professionals use the Mac exclusively. Go into ANY major recording studio, and BAM! Mac Pros with Pro Tools!!
Most major video editing is done with Final Cut.
Basically, most major media is Mac related.
Most “creative” workspaces use the Macintosh.
Irrelevant? Nonsense.
April 14th, 2010
Is tha zoo tycoon?
May 13th, 2010
Come on people…think just a bit. Mac os x 10.6 was released last June. Did you think that Apple would release a beta version of 10.7 after only a year. Sure not! We will probably hear more about 10.7 next year and maybe even not then. Its a major mac os x engineering, not something stupid. Do you really want Apple to become like Microsoft, releasing crappy os like windows? Sure not! So let us just be a bit more patient!
May 19th, 2010
@komnaspap
To reiterate what was said above, typical OS X releases have been every 1.5 years for nearly a decade. Its these gradual improvements that have been to apple’s advantage over Windows development (in my opinion). And developer builds have often been delivered at WWDC events the year after an OS release, typically with many features withheld until release so as to still allow some fanfare, but providing developers with as many API’s as early as possible.
May 20th, 2010
… Thats not to say it won’t be pushed back, the OS has matured enormously and probably requires less frequent updates, and the competition from Windows 8 won’t be seen for years to come while Android the mobile space is the current battlefield. However its not unreasonable to think that something could be shown.