A full history of macOS (OS X) release dates and rates

You know what's missing from your big lists? Build numbers.

And because you asked nicely, here's some extra size data for the list:

Mac OS X 10.0.0 "Kodiak": There were four different iterations of the Mac OS X Public Beta, but they all fit onto a single CD-ROM. DP1 occupied slightly more of the CD than the final DP4 release did, so you can count either: DP1 is 679.1 MB, DP4 is 676 MB.

Mac OS X 10.0.4 "Cheetah": Standard way to get it was to bu the box that was approximately 85% air, 10% printed matter and 5% being a single CD in a sleeve. It was slightly smaller than Kodiak as it didn't pack as much nerd into it - it is a consumer OS first and foremost - so Cheetah's disk-usage is 659 MB

Mac OS X 10.1 "Puma": The retail Puma package has two CDs; the main OS installer is still a single CD, but there's a second CD labeled "Tools" that has some extra fonts, utilities and a few dev goodies that are all completely optional. You got a LOT more when you bought a brand-new Mac that shipped with Puma - eleven CDs, which included Puma, Mac OS 9.2.2, a Hardware Test CD, an Applications disc, and a 6-CD set holding a system-restore image. Most folk who bought Puma as a retail/upgrade would install the tools too, so 648MB + 341 MB = 989 MB

Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar": For the first time, Mac OS X comes in two flavours, regular and Server editions. Jaguar 10.2 Server costs more, and uses a serial-number, but with general-user apps replaced with administrator-level server toys, it is a single CD of 635MB. The regular, or 'Client' OS installer now comes on two CDs but most of the second is fonts & printer drivers that you can choose not to install. There's a third CD in the retail package, "Apple Developer Tools" which has another 338MB of stuff on it. Without the Dev Tools, Jaguar Retail is 648 MB + 341 MB = 989 MB.

Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther:" The retail boxed version comes with four CDs, three for the Panther installer and one for the rebranded dev tools: Xcode. Macs that shipped with Panther usually got a DVD or two, or a whole wallet of CDs like the Jaguar Macs had. Not counting the 637 MB of stuff on the Xcode disc, the Panther installer adds up to 1.54 GB.

Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger": Apple started including DVD installers with Macs that shipped with a DVD drive back in the Jaguar days, but retail and upgrade Mac OS X installers were always CD-only ... until Tiger. The boxed edition of 10.4 comes as a single DVD holding 3.03 GB worth of OS-installer, Xcode, and a bevy of extra fonts, language kits & printer drivers, although it could be ordered as a 4-CD set. Even though the big switcharoo from PowerPC to Intel happened during Tiger's reign, the retail/upgrade editions of Tiger were PowerPC-only. Ignoring the optional extras, the app and all the packages that make up the default Tiger installer add up to 1.78 GB.

Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard": When you're supporting two disparate CPU architectures, everything takes up more than twice the space. Retail OS X Leopard ships on a dual-layer DVD that is absolutely chock-a-block full - 7.553 GB of the 8 GB capacity is taken, but not all of that is OS. The System you run when you boot the DVD is 1.1 GB, there's another gig's worth of 'Optional Installers' (mostly Xcode), but the main folder of installers amounts to 6 GB worth, which happens to include all the language packs, fonts for same, and over 2 GB worth of printer drivers. There's also a 460 MB hidden ISO partition that's got the Boot Camp software on it for Windows. If you add up the size of just the installers used to make up the default OS X - remember, it carries all the baggage needed for both PowerPC and Intel - it adds up to 2.15 GB.

Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard": The boxed retail Snow Leopard ships on a dual-layer DVD like Leopard did, and it too is chokka-block. You'd think going Intel-only would free up a lot of space on the disc, but no, they've filled the once-free-space with even more extras, including the PowerPC emulator, Rosetta - including the hidden Boot Camp partition, it all adds up to a very full 7.82 GB. There are two releases, 10.6.0 and 10.6.3 (in fact, Apple still sell the 10.6.3 DVD through the Store) with the latter release squeezing in even tighter, but if I cherry-pick the installer packages for a default OS install, it comes to 2.31 GB.

You forgot Big Sur 11.0 - it was preinstalled on the M1 Macs released in November.

Just out of curiosity you have it listed as Big Sur 11.6.1 then 12.0. What happened to 11.6.2?

I work for a school and the new MBAs (M1) come with 11.3.1 preinstalled then goes to 11.6.2 with the option of upgrading to 12.1.

Great site Rob. Keep up the good work.

Hi Rob,
Big Sur 11.6.7 has been released and fixes a nasty bug when opening attachments or other "unsaved" files.
https://support.apple.com/HT211896

I also noticed that the security notes of Big Sur 11.6.6 have been published:
https://support.apple.com/HT213256

Kind regards and thank you for this blog!

Great info Rob! Curious, on average, after how many major releases would you say an Apple Computer can no longer be updated or it loses too much resale value to make it worth hanging onto?

I ask because I am going to do an Apple (via First Citizens Bank) 36-month business lease on two Mac Mini M2 Pros and I have to decide whether to do a:

1) "Pay to Use" Lease with lower monthly payment (no Interest) and return computers at the end or buy at "Fair Market Value" (that is why I wonder about the worth in terms of major OS upgrades in 3-years)

2) "Pay to Own" Lease with higher monthly payments (and Interest) with an $1.00 buyout in 3 years.

I am not opting for the 12 or 24 month terms due to monthly costs.

Thanks for your thoughts and I hope this may help other people!