Future OS X Names Could Include Sequoia, Mojave, Sonoma and Ventura

With the shift from OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion to OS X 10.9, Apple opted to switch from naming its desktop operating system updates after big cats to naming them after distinct California landmarks or “places that inspire us,” as Craig Federighi explained during the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Mavericks, a popular surf spot, was the company’s first choice, and as we approach the initial preview of OS X 10.10, there’s a lot of speculation about which landmark Apple will choose next. Back in April, several possible naming choices were discovered in the form of trademarks that Apple applied for on California-related terms including Yosemite, Redwood, and Mammoth.

An OS X 10.10 mockup image
MacRumors has now discovered an additional set of names that appear to be linked to Apple, which trademarks were filed for on March 11, 2014 in Trinidad and Tobago, a favorite early filing spot for the company. The terms, all of which could be slated for future OS X releases, include OS X Sequoia, OS X Mojave, OS X Sonoma, and OS X Ventura, as well as the individual names Sequoia, Mojave, Sonoma, and Ventura.

While Sonoma and Ventura are major California cities known for vineyards and beaches, respectively, Mojave refers to the state’s Mojave Desert while Sequoia likely refers to the Sequoia National Park famous for its giant sequoia trees. All of the names represent well-known California landmarks and are suitable for Apple’s new OS X naming scheme.

At this point, the full list of known trademarks Apple has registered for includes Yosemite, Redwood, Mammoth, California, Big Sur, Pacific, Diablo, Miramar, Rincon, El Cap, Redtail, Condor, Grizzly, Farallon, Tiburon, Monterey, Skyline, Shasta, Sierra, Mojave, Sequoia, Ventura, and Sonoma.

It is unknown which name Apple is leaning towards for OS X 10.10, but an iOS 8 banner currently hanging at the Moscone Center ahead of WWDC featured an underwater theme, which may hint at the company’s OS X plans.

Along with the trademarks for several OS X terms it filed for on March 11, Apple also appears to have applied for trademarks on the terms “Apple Watch” and “Watch,” continuing its long trademarking spree of iWatch-related terms, which included several new filings under shell company Brightflash back in April.

OS X 10.10′s official name will be unveiled this coming Monday, during the keynote presentation of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. The event will take place at 10 AM Pacific Time.

Healthbook, HealthKit, and iResearch Names Revealed in Trademark Filings

One of the major new features expected in iOS 8 is “Healthbook”, a system for keeping track of and providing at-a-glance access to various types of health and fitness information. The system would be ideal for interfacing with Apple’s rumored iWatch with built-in biometric sensors, but even before that device’s introduction would also be useful for collecting data from sensors within the iPhone and third-party health accessories.

MacRumors has now discovered several trademark applications related to the Healthbook name, and while information on the applications available online does not directly link them to Apple, circumstantial evidence suggests that they are indeed Apple’s filings. The filings were made earlier this year in Trinidad and Tobago, one of Apple’s favored early trademark filing locations.

First is a pair of filings protecting Healthbook itself and a two-word variation of Health Book. Rumors and a leaked screenshot have indicated that Apple has been planning to use the one-word variation, but it is understandable that Apple would want to protect both versions. The applications were filed on February 3 of this year, just days after the name was publicly revealed.

Supporting the notion that these are Apple filings is the fact that two different trademark applications for “Apple CarPlay” were filed on the same day, roughly a month before iOS in the Car was publicly announced as having been renamed CarPlay.

Just one day later, another series of trademark applications were filed for several other terms, including HealthKit, iResearch, and iReasearch. Again, while these can not be directly linked to Apple, the timing and other circumstantial evidence suggests that these are in fact Apple’s applications.

It is not entirely clear what these terms are intended to describe, although HealthKit could be a set of developer tools for Healthbook integration in much the same way Apple has named other kits such as UIKit and GameKit. The focus of iResearch is even less clear, and iReasearch could simply be a typo that was quickly corrected with another filing.

All of the new health- and research-related trademark applications are filed under four international classes: 9 (computer software), 10 (medical apparatus), 14 (jewelry and watches), and 42 (computer hardware and software development services).

First OS X 10.10 Banner Goes Up at Moscone Featuring Yosemite

Apple is continuing to decorate the Moscone Center ahead of its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, and following the addition of outside banners and the first iOS 8 banner, the inaugural OS X 10.10 banner has just appeared, with a photo courtesy of The Verge.

Click to view larger
The mountainous background of the banner suggests OS X 10.10 will be receiving a land-related name to complement the water-based name given to OS X 10.9, possibly Yosemite or El Cap, as the image appears to feature the state park’s El Capitan rock formation. We detailed some of the names Apple has apparently filed for trademarks on back in April. Some trademarked land-themed names include Yosemite, Redwood, Mammoth, California, Diablo, Miramar, El Cap, Redtail, Condor, Grizzly, Tiburon, Skyline, Shasta, and Sierra.

Because OS X Mavericks only introduced minor visual changes, OS X 10.10 is expected to feature a more drastic redesign, adopting a “flatter” look and taking on some iOS 7-style design elements. While little is known about the operating system at this point, we will get our first glimpse of the operating system on Monday June 2 at 10 AM Pacitic Time, when Apple kicks off the Worldwide Developers Conference with its keynote presentation.

Apple will be live streaming the event both on the web and on the Apple TV. MacRumors will also provide a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.

Apple to Bolster iTunes Radio With Localized Ads, Content

Apple has plans to add both targeted local advertisements and broadcast radio stations to its iTunes Radio music service in the coming months, according to a report from The Information. The move will boost its advertising efforts and introduce new content on iTunes Radio, better positioning it to compete with market leader Pandora. Apple is also expected to begin advertising its own iTunes content through the iAd network.

In a move that strikes at the heart of Pandora’s advertising business, iTunes Radio is expected to enable locally targeted advertising later this year, according to ad buyers who have spoken to Apple. Apple may begin promoting iTunes with “house ads” on its iAd mobile advertising network, an unusual move for the company.

Apple has reportedly contacted broadcasters like Cumulus Media, the second largest operator of radio stations in America. Cumulus serves approximately 150 million listeners in 110 metropolitan areas and could potentially bring multiple local stations to iTunes Radio. Apple made its first moves towards introducing local content on iTunes Radio earlier this year with the launch of the National Public Radio (NPR) channel, which will eventually include local stations offering a mix of live and taped news.

Since the launch of iTunes Radio, Apple has had a renewed focus on advertising, redirecting its iAd team to monetize iTunes Radio through advertising sales. While the company has signed deals on a national level with several high profile companies like McDonald’s, Nissan, Pepsi, and Procter & Gamble, local ads are new territory.

The addition of local ads could significantly boost the revenue iTunes Radio pulls in, which is a major threat to Pandora. Pandora currently focuses heavily on local ads with sales teams located in more than 35 markets around the United States.

In April, Apple moved towards expanding into Pandora’s local advertising territory by making it easier to create and buy iAds on its network. While a developer account was previously required to create an ad campaign, that restriction has now been removed, making it simpler for advertisers large and small to create ads for the platform.

Apple’s efforts to bolster its iTunes Radio revenue through local content come as the company works to acquire Beats Music, a paid streaming music service that delivers content on demand. With both iTunes Radio and Beats Music, Apple is hoping to boost its overall music sales, which have waned in recent years.

First iOS 8 Banner Appears at Moscone Ahead of WWDC

Apple is beginning to decorate the inside of the Moscone Center ahead of WWDC, adding banners for OS X 10.10 and iOS 8. A photo of the iOS 8 banner has been supplied by BusinessInsider‘s Jay Yarow, depicting a simple “8″ on what appears to be a watery background.

Apple’s iOS 8 is expected to retain the same general look as iOS 7, offering polish along with several new features including a health-aggregating “Healthbook” app, new TextEdit and Preview apps, and possible improvements to both Siri and Maps.

We will get our first glimpse of iOS 8 on Monday during Apple’s WWDC keynote, which kicks off at 10 AM Pacific Time. Apple will be live streaming the event and MacRumors will also provide a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.

Buyer’s Guide: iMac and 13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Discounts Ahead of WWDC [Mac Blog]

Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) kicks off on Monday, but a few retailers have some larger than normal discounts on some current Mac models.

The 21.5″ 2.7GHz current generation iMac is seeing a $149 discount at Adorama and Best Buy. The iMac, however, is near the end of its refresh cycle and while we probably won’t see the new low-cost iMac debuted at WWDC, it does seem imminent. So, we recommend you wait on buying any new iMacs.

The 13″ Retina MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD, however, is seeing a $199 discount at both Amazon and B&H Photo, bringing the price from $1799 to $1599.99. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen. The buy recommendation for the Retina MacBook Pro is more complicated.

The Retina MacBook Pros were last updated in October 2013, according to our Buyer’s Guide and receives a “Caution” rating. Current MacBook Pro rumors place the next update in between Q3 and Q4, so approximately 4 months from now. That is enough time that if you are on the market specifically for the 13″ Retina MacBook Pro, a $199 discount may be enough to pull the trigger.

B&H Photo and Adorama only charge sales tax in NY and NY/NJ, respectively.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

What’s on tap for Apple at WWDC 2014

It’s that time again, folks — geeks from around the globe (us included) are getting ready to descend on San Francisco’s Moscone Center for WWDC 2014. Once those doors open and the keynote starts, we’ll get to peek at the future of computing the folks in Cupertino have cooked up… though what exactly we’ll see remains veiled in secrecy. You can bet the show will be heavy on the software (like new versions of iOS and OS X), but if we’re lucky, a few hardware announcements should keep us all on our toes. Here’s a quick look at what we think Apple will (and might!) show off during its June 2nd address.

iOS 8

Those of you expecting a dramatic redesign like last year’s leap to iOS 7 will be disappointed. From what we’ve seen and heard, expect iOS 8 to be a refinement of the software already running on your phone, a sanding down of rough edges paired with a smattering of new features. Right now, the biggest of those additions might be meant to get you in better shape. 9to5Mac published images of Healthbook in March, and they depict a Passbook-esque interface dedicated to tracking and displaying your vital stats, from heart rate to blood pressure to activity. It’s not exactly clear where Apple is going to pull all this data from — an iPhone could give you a decent guess at your activity levels, but it’s not going to track your oxygen saturation or blood sugar without some additional hardware. Is Apple hinting at what its new iPhones will be capable of tracking? Maybe, but it may also signal a platform play where Apple draws on information collected by gadgets like the Fitbit or the Withings Pulse.

With any luck, Siri is going to get smarter too. It used to be that Siri could only peer into your apps and fire them up if Apple inked a deal with the companies that made them, but a report from The Information claims Apple is working on getting its virtual assistant to “understand” what those apps do so it can respond to your requests more substantially. A mobile payments system may be in the cards too if the Wall Street Journal is to be believed — Apple SVP Eddy Cue has apparently been taking meetings with tech industry bigwigs and talking about the company’s “interest in handling payments for physical goods and services on its devices.”

And then there are the slightly less consequential bits. Apple Maps may finally get a shot in the arm with improved support for walking and transit directions. Split-screen multitasking is reportedly in the cards for the iPad (though it may not be ready in time for the show), and iOS 8 will probably come with new TextEdit and Preview apps. Facebook just started bringing TV and music audio recognition to iOS and Android, but Apple’s reportedly teaming up with Shazam to bring similar audio smarts to iTunes.

OS X “Syrah”

After all that, you’d expect the changelog for the new OS X (codenamed “Syrah”) to be equally lengthy. It probably will be, but the only thing that seems like a lock right now is the facelift Apple has given it. Don’t give in to the hysteria: the next OS X update probably won’t look too much like iOS, though 9to5Mac reports that Apple has indeed worked to unify some of the design language across Apple’s devices. (Chill, the image above is just a mock-up by artist Danny Giebe.) That means we should be in for a flatter, more open-feeling OS X with plenty of white space replete with all the desktop niceties (the Finder, Mission Control) we’ve grown so used to. For a company whose products get outed by sources and supply chain trolls on the regular, it’s a welcome surprise to see that OS X’s new look will be a, well, surprise. For now, anyway.

Where’s all the hardware?

Despite what the name sort of implies, WWDC isn’t just about the software. Apple always trots out a few new gewgaws at the show each year — last time we saw the introduction of the dramatically redesigned Mac Pro, along with a batch of refreshed MacBook Airs… which were tweaked again just a few weeks back. Rumors abound of a much-anticipated Retina MacBook Air that’ll finally bring eye-searing screen resolution to all of Apple’s portables, but take that with a grain of salt.

A bit of poking around in the latest OS X Mavericks beta software revealed references to three new iMac models — a juicy tidbit that only seems juicier when you consider the slipping ship dates for iMacs on Apple’s online store. All signs seemed to point to new iMacs at the show, but über-connected Apple pundit Jim Dalrymple quickly shot down rumors of a low-cost model taking the stage. Sorry, folks.

There’s just a flicker of hope that some fresh Macs will appear, but how about some new iDevices to go with them? Don’t hold your breath. There’s just about no way Apple is going to pull back the curtain on a next-generation iPhone with the 5s (unveiled eight months ago) still so visible in the rearview mirror. That said, some analysts are foretelling the announcement of an even cheaper 8GB iPhone 5s meant for developing markets — we’ll soon see how good their crystal balls (err, supply chain analyses) are. Our hunch? Not good. At this point, there’s a half-decent chance that Apple won’t show off any hardware at all — TechCrunch is betting that’s the case exactly.

A home invasion?

Yeah, this one came out of the blue, didn’t it? A recent report from the Financial Times purports that Apple is preparing to trot out a connected-home system… or at least a set of guidelines that it wants some manufacturers to stick to. In short (and as Gigaom reported), Apple may just want home gadget makers to commit to Bluetooth-enabled voice control and connecting devices over a WiFi network. In exchange, those manufacturers would get an Apple certification, and everyone goes home happy.

It’s unclear whether or not Apple even plans to craft any of its own home-friendly hardware, but it’s hardly a surprise to see the company trying to wrangle players in the space. After all, Apple Stores already stock their fair share of internet-of-things goodies and analysts only expect the demand for devices that enable that sort of connected life to grow. We’re hoping against hope that Apple is pulling a pump fake to draw attention away from a meatier announcement, but our inner pragmatists are expecting to be vindicated.

Which WWDC prediction are you most excited about?

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Walter Isaacson: Steve Jobs Would Have Supported Beats Acquisition [Mac Blog]

Walter Isaacson, known to the Apple community for his authorized Steve Jobs biography, believes the Apple co-founder would have approved of Apple’s acquisition of Beats. Isaacson shared his thoughts on the Beats deal during a CNBC interview earlier today (via Fortune).

Isaacson points to the close relationship between Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, both of whom shared a similar appreciation for music.

Isaacson argues that Jobs and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine and Jobs had bonded over their shared love of music, and that Jobs would have been interested in adding Iovine’s “cool” factor to the company. “I think Jimmy is the greatest talent spotter now in the music and content business, so it feels like part of the DNA of Apple.”

Before the acquisition was announced, Isaacson speculated that Iovine was Apple’s real target, bringing the veteran producer on board to head up the Cupertino company’s content business. Isaacson said Iovine could “help Apple launch the TV product that analysts have been gossiping about for years,” by using his influence in the media business to negotiate content deals. During an interview at the Code Conference earlier this week, however, Iovine noted that he has enough on his plate with music and has no plans to become involved in television negotiations.

Iovine has a long history with Apple, helping Steve Jobs sign deals with music labels in the early days of iTunes and working with Apple and U2 on a special edition iPod. Before the launch of Beats Music, he also pitched the idea of a streaming music service to Apple, but neither Steve Jobs nor Tim Cook was interested at the time.

Upon completion of the acquisition, Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple while the Beats team will work under the guidance of Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.

The Engadget Podcast is live at 12pm ET!

Ben and Terrence are back in good ol’ NYC and they’ve got the one and only Edgar Alvarez in the studio with them! Obviously, the big news this week is that Apple snatched up Beats, which means we’re probably only a few days away from watching an awkward exchange between Tim Cook and Dr. Dre live on stage! So click on through for your weekly dose of gadget news (and a super caffeinated Terrence).

Filed under: Meta, Apple

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