Apple’s macOS operating system is known for its stability and features, but it wasn’t always this way. Throughout the history of macOS (and OS X before it), there have been some real stinkers that Apple would probably rather we all forgot about. Yet there have also been some classic versions that still live fondly in the memories of Mac users new and old.
In this article, we’ve picked three of the best versions of Apple’s Mac operating system, as well as three of its worst. Along the way, you’ll take a trip down memory lane to see what Apple got right (and wrong). So, let’s explore Apple’s greatest hits — and some of its worst howlers.
Best: OS X 10.4 Tiger (2005)
It may have come out more than 15 years ago, but OS X 10.4 Tiger introduced features that are still in use today. Spotlight, Automator (which paved the way for Shortcuts), and VoiceOver all got their start on Tiger, alongside a huge range of new and improved tools and features that made the operating system widely popular.
Tiger also launched around the time Apple began its transition away from PowerPC chips and onto Intel processors. To help facilitate that, Tiger contained the first version of Rosetta, a built-in tool that could automatically read and run apps designed for PowerPC chips on Intel Macs. It was a piece of forward-thinking that returned when Macs made the move to Apple silicon.
Tiger was so popular, in fact, that Apple didn’t feel the need to replace it for a massive 30 months — the longest such stretch for any version of Apple’s Mac operating systems. That’s a testament to how fondly it was received by users the world over.
Best: OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (2009)
Mention Snow Leopard to any Apple old-timer and you’ll see their eyes glaze over as they regale you with stories of this celebrated operating system. Its reliability and functionality have become the stuff of legend, even close to a decade and a half since its launch. You can’t say that about every version of the Mac operating system.
Unusually, Apple advertised Snow Leopard as having “zero new features,” and instead poured all of its efforts into improving performance and efficiency. Software processes from OS X 10.5 were extensively rewritten and apps were made speedier, all while the visual style remained practically unchanged from its predecessor. And on top of that, the price was slashed from $129 to a mere $29.
Snow Leopard’s reputation has been somewhat mythologized since its launch, and there were plenty of complaints at the time. But by focusing on stability and functionality, Apple scored a serious home run that still makes Mac veterans nostalgic.
Best: macOS 11 Big Sur (2020)
By 2020, Apple’s Mac operating system had looked pretty similar for a number of years and its design was starting to get long in the tooth. Then macOS Big Sur came along and breathed new life into the platform, with a fresh design that modernized the look and feel of macOS while remaining faithful to what made it so popular.
But Big Sur wasn’t just about aesthetics — it also introduced a collection of new features that added even more functionality to the Mac. That included Control Center and an updated Notification Center, which combined to put frequent alerts, controls and toggles within easy access. Safari was upgraded for a faster, more private experience, while significant new features landed in Messages, Maps, and more.
It wasn’t without its bugs and problems, and its launch during the Covid-19 pandemic took some of the shine off Apple’s efforts, but macOS Big Sur remains a milestone update for the Mac.
Worst: OS X 10.7 Lion (2011)
With the long delays in launching a new Mac Pro, Apple has been accused of ignoring the needs of its pro users. But that’s not a new thing, as OS X 10.7 Lion from 2010 showed. This version of the Mac operating system automated several actions, like saving files and closing apps, that were previously done by the user. While that might be handy in some situations, it also took away control from users, resulting in unwanted saves overwriting existing versions of files. Worse, there was not even any way to disable autosave.
If an app hadn’t been used for a while, meanwhile, Lion would automatically close it — which was a real pain if you were multitasking and had to keep reopening your apps because the operating system kept closing them.
The problems were such that when Apple released OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion in 2012, it focused heavily on refining the user experience and putting right some of the mistakes made in Lion. For a massive company like Apple, that must have been humbling.
Worst: OS X 10.10 Yosemite (2014)
OS X 10.10 Yosemite was the first major visual update to OS X in a few years, ditching the metallic sheen of 10.9 Mavericks for a flatter, more subdued appearance. The death of skeuomorphism was welcomed at the time, but not everything came up smelling of roses.
Yosemite introduced a lot of fresh features, but that focus on new elements led some people to lament the lack of focus on what was already there — and the reliability of the operating system. There were problems galore, from network stability issues to a bug that would crash your Mac when a certain Arabic text string was entered into apps.
The problems were such that prominent developer Marco Arment claimed Apple had “lost the functional high ground” over Windows. “I suspect the rapid decline of Apple’s software is a sign that marketing is too high a priority at Apple today,” he wrote. “Having major new releases every year is clearly impossible for the engineering teams to keep up with while maintaining quality.” The post quickly went viral, and while Arment came to regret its spread, his post clearly resonated with a lot of Mac users.
Worst: macOS 10.13 High Sierra (2017)
Like OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, macOS 10.13 High Sierra was intended as an incremental improvement over its predecessor, with a strong focus on stability. Unfortunately, that hope proved to be somewhat misguided.
Remember the root vulnerability? It allowed anyone to simply enter the username “root” in the macOS login screen and gain access to the all-powerful root account, without even needing to type in a password. As crazy as it sounds, it seems like Apple somehow overlooked this vulnerability, resulting in a fix being rushed out to patch it.
That’s not all. The WindowServer process had a large memory leak that led to noticeably degraded graphics performance and laggy animations, while DisplayLink suffered from a bug that prevented users from extending more than one external monitor. All in all, High Sierra’s emphasis on refinement doesn’t look so peachy in retrospect.
And if Windows is your speed, we’ve also ranked the best Windows versions of all time.
