Apple working on “revolutionary” Mac OS X 10.7 feature – is it Cloud computing?

Jul 29, 2010 - 12 Comments

Mac OS X 10.7 Clouded Leopard

Apple is working on a “revolutionary” new Mac OS X 10.7 feature, according to a new job posting on Apple.com:

We are looking for a senior software engineer to help us create a revolutionary new feature in the very foundations of Mac OS X. We have something truly revolutionary and really exciting in progress and it is going to require your most creative and focused efforts ever.

The posting was originally discovered by AppleInsider and since then speculation has swarmed about what the feature is. Based on evidence within the posting itself and some other recent Apple news, it looks to be related to cloud computing.

Mac OS X 10.7 + Cloud Computing = Mac OS X Clouded Leopard?

The biggest hint in the job posting is the favoring of candidates who have experience developing with “internet technologies and services” and more tellingly “participated in or lead the architecture of large web scale systems” with HTTP protocol experience. This naturally leads to the assumption that Mac OS X 10.7 will indeed have Cloud features built into the foundation of the operating system. HTTP and XHTML5 are core elements in the Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI) spec and are integral parts in most existing cloud computing services and platforms. When you combine this knowledge with recent news that Apple is building a massive 500,000 square foot data center, there is little room left to wonder what Apple is up to.

Of course the question remains on how exactly cloud computing will be integrated with future versions of Mac OS X, iOS, and even iTunes, so let the speculation run wild! I’ll go first. Assuming this all pans out, the name Mac OS X 10.7 Clouded Leopard would certainly be fittingly appropriate and along the existing feline naming conventions as the first iteration of Mac OS X to directly integrate cloud computing features.

Here’s the entire job posting:

Are you looking to help create something totally new? Something that has never been done before and will truly amaze everyone? Are you excited by the prospect that what you helped create would be used every day by millions of Apple customers? Then come and work on with the Mac OS X software engineering team to help build a new and revolutionary feature for Mac OS X.

We are looking for a senior software engineer to help us create a revolutionary new feature in the very foundations of Mac OS X. We have something truly revolutionary and really exciting in progress and it is going to require your most creative and focused efforts ever.

An ideal candidate will have a degree in Computer Science (or equivalent), five years of professional experience developing C / C++ / Objective-C libraries or frameworks for use on end user systems, experience with developing for Internet technologies and services, and a passion for doing “really hard” things that have never been done before.

An exceptional candidate will also have up close and personal experience with the HTTP protocol as well as other protocols layered atop it, have participated in or lead the architecture of large web scale systems, have shipped multiple “platforms” for use by millions of users.

Additional Desired Skills and Experience:
– Mac OS X platform development experience
– Knowledge of Objective-C
– UNIX development experience
– BS in Computer Science or equivalent; 5+ years experience

You can see the job posting or even apply for it yourself at jobs.apple.com.

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Posted by: William Pearson in Mac OS, News, Rumor

12 Comments

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  5. If you think Apple’s next Mac OS version, or any version in the near future is going to be cloud-based — that is stored elsewhere than on your computer. You are very wrong, it’s just not going to happen.

    This is speculation outside of rational thinking, or at least not knowing what this actually means, in terms of how to leverage that kind of a system — or even what it means for the user.

    This feature is not, I repeat NOT the actual OS that is getting to be cloud-based. And I can definitely imagine other purposes for the data center they’ve build.

    • will says:

      I don’t think the the OS will be in the cloud, that is far in the future, but things like storage of personalizations, documents, and syncing with your iTunes, iPhone, iPad, will be in the cloud.

      Of course like all Apple rumors, this is just speculation based on limited information.

  6. Wolfos says:

    if this means you can’t use your computer without internet, I’ll never upgrade again.

    my ISP sucks and about twice a day I have no internet ranging from 10 minutes to many hours.

  7. Niel says:

    I’d like to see a cloud-based Time Machine. When TM writes files, it will write to a local hard drive and to a cloud-based server (probably sitting in their new data center in North Carolina) at the same time. If they do implement this, the big question will be are they going to offer this as a new service on mobileme, or will it be free?

  8. I bet they’re going to integrate advertising into the OS per the recent patent renewal. Presumably they will make the OS a free download. Want to increase market share? Try giving away your product. And you can use the best operating system in the world for FREE – right after these messages.

  9. Tom Barringer says:

    I think you hit the nail on the head, but it’s using the cloud to integrate their platforms finally: Mac OS X, iOS, iTunes, all your data, seamlessly integrated in such a way that whatever you are using your data, music, apps, and everything that defines your computing experience as yours follows you.

  10. sadk says:

    Nice work putting two and two together here, and the name definitely makes sense but I’m not sure if it’s different enough from Snow Leopard and Leopard, too many leopards. I would be THRILLED if true cloud computing was built into 10.7.

    Oh and nice photoshop graphic… lol

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