Apple to Ease Off Annual Mac OS Upgrade Pace

Written By
John Pallatto
John Pallatto
Published: May 18, 2004
Updated: Feb 2, 2021
2 minute read
eWeek content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple Computer Inc. will ease up a bit on the frequency of Mac OS X upgrades after it releases the next version, code-named Tiger, the companys chief software technology officer said Tuesday.

But users can expect the company to continue regular upgrades that take advantage of steady advances in Mac hardware, Avadis Tevanian said at the Software & Information Industry Associations Enterprise Software Summit here.

Tevanian conceded that Apples current annual upgrade schedule “is not a sustainable rate. But youll still see us going really fast,” he said.

Tevanian rebutted comments that Apple had alienated some of its customers with the rapid pace of Mac OS X upgrades. Some Mac OS 9.x users may have taken their time to upgrade to OS X, he acknowledged.

/zimages/7/28571.gifFor insights on the Mac in the enterprise, check out eWEEK.com Executive Editor Matthew Rothenbergs Weblog.

But many users have upgraded to the latest OS X version as they replace aging Mac hardware and will continue to do so, he said.

/zimages/7/28571.gifClick hereto read more about Apples plans for Tiger, Mac OS Version 10.4.

Apple plans to demonstrate Tiger publicly for the first time at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference here June 28. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple released the current version in October 2003 and is expected to release Tiger before year-end. Tiger will be the fourth major upgrade since Apple introduced Mac OS X in 2001.

/zimages/7/28571.gifClick hereto read about a recent security upgrade to Apples Mac OS X.

Apple officials have not specified when the new version will be ready to ship.

/zimages/7/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Macintosh Center at http://macintosh.eweek.com for the latest news, reviews and analysis about Apple in the enterprise.

/zimages/7/77042.gif

Be sure to add our eWEEK.com Macintosh news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page

John Pallatto

John Pallatto

Content Writer

John Pallatto has been editor in chief of QuinStreet Inc.'s eWEEK.com since October 2012. He has more than 40 years of experience as a professional journalist working at a daily newspaper and computer technology trade journals. He was an eWEEK managing editor from 2009 to 2012. From 2003 to 2007 he covered Enterprise Application Software for eWEEK. From June 2007 to 2008 he was eWEEK’s West Coast news editor. Pallatto was a member of the staff that launched PC Week in March 1984. From 1992 to 1996 he was PC Week’s West Coast Bureau chief. From 1996 to 1998 he was a senior editor with Ziff-Davis Internet Computing Magazine. From 2000 to 2002 Pallatto was West Coast bureau chief with Internet World Magazine. His professional journalism career started at the Hartford Courant daily newspaper where he worked from 1974 to 1983.

eWeek Logo

eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site's focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.