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Mac OS X 10.0

2001 · Mac

Released on 24 March 2001 for $129. A completely new Mac system, built on a UNIX-based core, with the Aqua look and the Dock.1, 2

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Released
24 March 20011
Price
$129 in the United States1
Built on
Darwin, an open source, UNIX-based core1
Needed
At least 128 MB of memory1

A new system for the Mac

Apple called Mac OS X a completely new version of the Macintosh operating system.2 At its core was Darwin, an open source system based on UNIX.1 Darwin brought true memory protection, for higher reliability, and preemptive multitasking, so several programs ran together more smoothly.2

A Mac OS X 10.0 desktop on a blue wallpaper. A pinstriped menu bar at the top reads Finder, File, Edit, View, Go, Window and Help, with the clock on the right. In front is a Finder window titled Macintosh HD with red, yellow and green buttons, a toolbar and blue folders for Applications, Library, System and Users. Behind it, an inactive Applications window in column view lists programs such as Address Book, Calculator, Mail and TextEdit. A translucent Dock with program icons runs along the bottom, and disk icons sit at the top right.
Illustration · not a screenshot Our drawing of Mac OS X 10.0 from 2001. The Macintosh HD window is in front and active, and the Applications window behind it is inactive. See the real screen

Aqua and the Dock

The new look was called Aqua. It had glowing, see-through buttons, scroll bars and windows, and smooth animation.2 Aqua's Dock was a new way to organize everything from programs and documents to web sites and streaming video.2

Close-up of the bottom of the Mac OS X 10.0 screen: the lower edges of the two Finder windows on the blue wallpaper, and below them a translucent, pinstriped Dock with six program icons on the left, a small triangle under the first one, a divider, and a web link, a document and the Trash on the right.
Illustration · not a screenshot Close-up of our drawing: the Dock along the bottom of the Mac OS X 10.0 screen, with programs on the left and documents and the Trash on the right. See the real screen

Old programs kept working

Most older Mac programs ran "as is" in a part of the system called Classic.3 For that, the box included a full copy of Mac OS 9.1.1 Apple said over 350 programs for Mac OS X were already shipping, with hundreds more coming by summer.1

A Mac OS 8 desktop in grey and periwinkle. A grey menu bar reads File, Edit, View, Special and Help. A Finder window with a raised grey frame shows the hard disk's folders, with Applications selected. Behind it is a Note Pad window, and the Control Strip sits at the bottom left.
Illustration · not a screenshot For comparison: our drawing of Mac OS 8 from 1997, the classic Mac look of the years before Aqua. See the real screen

Key moments