Entry updated · Sources & corrections policy
1999 - 2002
Mac OS 9
“Buried on stage by Steve Jobs, with a coffin.”
- Birth year
- 1999
- Shutdown year
- 2002
- Lifespan
- 3 years
- Peak era
- 1999-2001
- Company
- Apple
- Category
- Operating Systems
0 people remember this
Log in to leave a flower
On Video
Steve Jobs holds a funeral for Mac OS 9 at WWDC 2002
Plays from YouTube when you press play. Views, length and date from YouTube, October 2026.
About This Video
- From:
- JoshuaG
- Added:
- April 2, 2006
- Length:
- 3:41
More Videos4 videos
What Was It?
Mac OS 9 was the last version of the classic Mac OS, the system that had run Macintosh computers since 1984. Released in October 1999 and promoted as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever", it added the Sherlock 2 search tool, automatic software updates and multiple user accounts.
Underneath, it still lacked protected memory and modern multitasking, and Apple was already preparing its replacement. Mac OS X arrived in 2001, and the final update, Mac OS 9.2.2, followed in December of that year.
At its Worldwide Developers Conference in May 2002, Steve Jobs opened his keynote with a mock funeral for Mac OS 9, complete with a coffin. It is the only operating system in this cemetery that already had a funeral.
Things You Probably Forgot
- Rebuilding the desktop
- Extensions loading across the bottom of the startup screen
- Sherlock search
- Running it inside the Classic environment on Mac OS X
The Story
- 1999 Mac OS 9 was released on October 23.
- 2001 Mac OS X 10.0 arrived, and Mac OS 9.2.2 was released in December.
- 2002 Steve Jobs held a mock funeral for Mac OS 9 at WWDC.
How It Died
Apple ended development of Mac OS 9 in late 2001 and held a mock funeral for it at WWDC in May 2002 as it moved to Mac OS X.
What Replaced It?
Memories
Log in to add a comment and share your memory.
Loading comments…