Where OS X 'Big Cat' code names REALLY come from

OK, so imagine this: You're Apple Computer, Inc. (still) and it's December 1997. You've just blocked British Mac-clone maker Shaye from licensing Mac OS 8, thereby putting it pretty much out of luck for new products; in fact, Shaye will revert to selling genuine Apple gear at the end of the year. Still, there's something kind of catchy about Shaye's branding... something vaguely feline: Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Lion and Lynx. Nice ring to those "big cat" names. Mrowr!

Reader Andreas Tellefsen spotted this incredible coincidence on Mac-clone history site everymac.com -- it seems that almost all of the Shaye model names have mysteriously transformed into Mac OS X release codenames. 'Lynx' is even one of the two additional big cats trademarked by Apple ('Cougar' is the other). Is this an innocent case of parallel branding? A sneaky repurposing of deprecated product names? Nothing more than a tempest in a litter box? You be the judge.

Update: Ola and other commenters note that the Mac OS X names also match up with the names of German tanks and AFVs, which is a wee bit more disturbing.

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Source: http://xgrape.net/?p=316

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OK, so imagine this: You're Apple Computer, Inc. (still) and it's December 1997. You've just blocked British Mac-clone maker Shaye from...

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Dimebag

@ 9. I have a Weim and and he runs way better than any version of OS X!

March 12 2007 at 11:23 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

therebbe

The company still exsists.
They are now called The Clearance Store. I used to work there in those days.
http://tcsmacs.com/

March 12 2007 at 7:41 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Mack

No, it's because OS 9 lives! Get it?

Nine Lives!

March 11 2007 at 5:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Darleen

{shrug} I always assumed they were name for very FAST cats because the OS is so fast.

March 11 2007 at 11:38 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Sam

vaguely?

March 11 2007 at 12:57 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Scott Perez-Fox

How many of those names are the same as cars? Sports teams? The reason we use those names is because we like the cats. We like animals, so we name stuff for them.

March 10 2007 at 11:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Catt

This whole thing just cracks me up :-)
Very interesting posts and answers and I enjoyed reading Ola's blog on the subject.

March 10 2007 at 8:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

R Muffet

I wonder what the codename for the iPhone OS X is?

March 10 2007 at 6:35 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Ola

GermanReader says that "And BTW: One of the biggest tanks ever made by the Germans in WWII was called 'Mouse'. Now what?!" - Well, haven't you heard of Apples Mighty Mouse? It all fits together ;)

http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/

March 10 2007 at 6:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

R to the C to the S

@Cheeseburger Brown:
What... the... muck?

@Alex Cormier:
C'mon cheer up guy/girl! It's still around 4 years away, if we're still missing to 10.x versions!

March 10 2007 at 5:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply