Oliver Haslam·

macOS 10.15 To Be Called ‘Mammoth’, Or Could It Be Monterey, Rincon, Skyline?

Apple will announce the next versions of its main operating systems next week, with macOS 10.15 one of the more interesting updates. We know that it’s likely to have some big changes this year, but what will it be called?

According to MacRumors, “Mammoth” is a good bet.

As the site notes, as many as 19 trademarks were applied for back in 2013 with a number of companies used as their origins. All of those companies are believed to be Apple shell corporations and since then some have been used as macOS names including Mojave. Yosemite and Sierra were other examples with Apple continuing its California-related naming strategy.

Where this leaves us right now is four potential names for macOS 10.15, with the others having been abandoned.

Over the years, the trademark review process has played out for all of these applications, with most being subject to some form of back-and-forth between the applicants and examiners involving various approvals, denials, and suspensions. Even for approvals, however, owners are required to submit proof of the trademarks being used in commerce. This Statement of Use can be submitted up to 36 months after trademark approval, as long as the applicant regularly requests successive 6-month extensions to the original 6-month submission period.

Of those 19 that were originally claimed, Mammoth, Monterey, Rincon, and Skyline are the only ones still in play with any of them potentially being the name for macOS 10.15. However, given recent activity relating to the Mammoth trademark in particular, that’s the one that is looking most likely.

Notably, the trademark application for Mammoth was just approved earlier this month after many years of delays and a suspension. It’s seen quite a bit of activity over the past six months, with the applicant Yosemite Research LLC having made some changes to reactivate the suspended application and shifting the attorney of record on the application to be noted trademark attorney Glenn Gundersen, who has worked with Apple on a number of intellectual property issues in the past.

The trademark application for Mammoth was finally published this past March, and following no opposition it was granted on May 7th.

For those unfamiliar with the Californian landscape, Mammoth likely relates to the Mammoth Lakes or Mammoth Mountain, popular skiing and hiking locations in the area. That would certainly make the name a viable one given Apple’s current naming strategy, especially if this update is as big as we expect it to be.

Who can’t imagine Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, making a mammoth pun on-stage?

(Source: MacRumors)

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