Mac OS X Turns 7

March 21st marks a memorable day for Macintosh fans and users of Apple's operating system. Mac OS X has just turned seven, but it still has a lot to grow. Why? Mac OS X is a cat, right? The Mac really took off with the release of OS X 10.0, code-named Cheetah. Then came Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger and, of course, the Leopard, which I'm currently petting via keyboard and mouse. All we have to do now is take a look at this Cat VS Human Age Comparison Chart (left - click to enlarge) and see where Mac OS X will be in 10, 50 or even a hundred years.

But first, let's all read Steve Jobs' memorable statement again, issued in the original Mac OS X launch press release: "Mac OS X is the most important software from Apple since the original Macintosh operating system in 1984 that revolutionized the entire industry," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We can't wait for Mac users around the globe to experience its stability, power and elegance."

350 applications for Mac OS X shipped that day with hundreds more on their way by summer that year. Of course, as early Mac OS X adopters know, power and stability weren't exactly the operating system's strong points, but hey, it worked.

Seven years saw Mac OS X go through six versions, seven if you're going to count the first public beta. Here they are, in chronological order: Mac OS X Public Beta, launched September 13, 2000; Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah, launched March 21, 2001; Mac OS X 10.1 Puma, launched September 25, 2001; Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar, launched August 23, 2002; Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, launched October 24, 2003; Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger; launched April 29, 2005; Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, launched October 26, 2007.

Now, back to the Cat VS Human Age chart (thanks tripod.com). If the Mac OS X cat is currently only four months old, what do you reckon this cat will be able to do when it's, say... 10?