Apple’smacOSoperating arrangement is known for its stability and features , but it was n’t always this elbow room . Throughout the history of macOS ( and OS X before it ) , there have been some real scum bag that Apple would probably rather we all draw a blank about . Yet there have also been some classic versions that still live lovingly in the memories of Mac users new and onetime .

In this clause , we ’ve picked three of the best versions of Apple ’s Mac operating organization , as well as three of its worst . Along the way , you ’ll take a stumble down memory lane to see what Apple got right ( and wrong ) . So , let ’s search Apple ’s greatest hits — and some of its bad howler .

Best: OS X 10.4 Tiger (2005)

It may have follow out more than 15 year ago , but OS X 10.4 Tiger introduce feature article that are still in use today . limelight , Automator ( which paved the way for Shortcuts ) , andVoiceOverall got their start on Tiger , alongside a huge range of young and improved tool and feature that made the operating system widely popular .

Tiger also launched around the sentence Apple began its transition aside from PowerPC chips and onto Intel processors . To help facilitate that , Tiger contained the first version of Rosetta , a built - in peter that could automatically read and run apps designed for PowerPC Saratoga chip on Intel Macs . It was a piece of forward - intellection that return when Macsmade the move to Apple Si .

Tiger was so pop , in fact , that Apple did n’t feel the need to supervene upon it for a monumental 30 months — the long such reaching for any reading of Apple ’s Mac operating systems . That ’s a will to how fondly it was obtain by user 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 treat you with stories of this celebrate operating system . Its dependableness and functionality have become the poppycock of legend , even close to a tenner and a half since its launching . You ca n’t say that about every version of the Mac operating system .

Unusually , Apple advertise Snow Leopard as have “ zero novel feature film , ” and alternatively teem all of its exploit into improving functioning and efficiency . package processes from OS X 10.5 were extensively rewrite and apps were made speedier , all while the visual style remained much unchanged from its herald . And on top of that , the terms was slashed from $ 129 to a bare $ 29 .

Snow Leopard ’s reputation has been jolly mythologized since its launching , and there were plenty of complaints at the time . But by focusing on stableness and functionality , Apple tally a serious home foot race that still makes Mac warhorse nostalgic .

Best: macOS 11 Big Sur (2020)

By 2020 , Apple ’s Mac operating system had looked fairly exchangeable for a number of old age and its design was start to get long in the tooth . Then macOS Big Sur came along and breathed new life into the weapons platform , with a fresh intent that modernize the smell and feel of macOS while stay on faithful to what made it so popular .

But Big Sur was n’t just about aesthetics — it also introduced a assembling of new features that add up even more functionality to the Mac . That included Control Center and an update Notification Center , which combined to put frequent alerts , controls and toggles within well-heeled approach . Safari was elevate for a fast , more individual experience , while significant new features set down in Messages , Maps , and more .

It was n’t without its bug and problem , and its launch during the Covid-19 pandemic direct 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 hold in launching anew Mac Pro , Apple has been accuse of ignoring the penury of its pro users . But that ’s not a raw thing , as OS X 10.7 Lion from 2010 showed . This version of the Mac operating system automated several action , like saving file and closure apps , that were previously done by the user . While that might be ready to hand in some situations , it also took away ascendence from users , leave in unwanted saves overwriting exist version of files . uncollectible , there was not even any way to disable autosave .

If an app had n’t been used for a while , meanwhile , Lion would automatically close it — which was a genuine pain if you were multitasking and had to keep reopening your apps because the operating system kept close them .

The trouble were such that when Apple secrete OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion in 2012 , it focused heavily on refine the drug user experience and order right some of the misunderstanding made in Lion . For a monumental fellowship 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 ecstasy in a few age , ditching the metallic lustre of 10.9 Mavericks for a flatter , more subdued appearance . The death of skeuomorphism was welcomed at the time , but not everything come up smelling of roses .

Yosemite introduced a lot of fresh features , but that focus on new elements led some the great unwashed to lament the deficiency of focus on what was already there — and the reliableness of the operating system . There were problem galore , from web stability issues to a bug that would crash your Mac when a certain Arabic text string was entered into apps .

The job were such that prominent developer Marco Arment claimed Apple had“lost the useable high ground”over Windows . “ I mistrust the rapid fall of Apple ’s software is a mark that marketing is too high a precedence at Apple today , ” he wrote . “ have major new releases every year is clearly impossible for the engineering teams to keep up with while maintaining lineament . ” The situation quickly lead viral , and while Arment issue forth to repent its scatter , his post clear resonated with a bunch of Mac users .

Worst: macOS 10.13 High Sierra (2017)

Like OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion , macOS 10.13 High Sierra was designate as an incremental advance over its predecessor , with a strong focus on stability . unluckily , that Bob Hope proved to be slightly lead astray .

retrieve theroot exposure ? It allowed anyone to simply enter the username “ root ” in the macOS login screen and gain access to the all - powerful root story , without even needing to typewrite in a watchword . As demented as it sounds , it seems like Apple somehow overlook this exposure , result in a fix being stimulate out to piece it .

That ’s not all . The WindowServer process had a with child retentiveness leak that head to noticeably degraded graphics operation and laggy invigoration , while DisplayLink suffer from a bug that prevented user from expand more than one external monitor . All in all , High Sierra ’s emphasis on refinement does n’t wait so peachy in retrospect .

And if Windows is your swiftness , we ’ve also grade thebest Windows versions of all clock time .