Version: 9.0
Scope or package language: Latin America
Mac OS 9 announcement; regional availability planned for November
Apple source ↗Mac OS 9
Apple announced Mac OS 9 on October 5, 1999. Its Latin American announcement planned November availability and a suggested price of US$99; those regional terms are not presented as a worldwide sales date. The system combined Sherlock 2, user profiles, Keychain, Internet software updates and new networking tools.
- Type
- Operating system
- Family
- Classic Mac OS
- Documented announcement
- 1999-10-05
- Announced Latin American price
- US$99
- Original requirements
- Apple PowerPC Mac · 32 MB physical RAM · virtual memory enabled
- Documented updates
- 9.1 · 9.2.1 · 9.2.2
Apple Newsroom · 1999-10-05 · Latin America
Sherlock 2 organized searches into channels, including news, people and shopping. User profiles kept individual preferences and files, while Keychain collected credentials. Apple also documented Internet file sharing, AppleScript over TCP/IP and Network Browser. These are historical system features, not a promise that the online services remain available today.
Apple Newsroom · 1999-10-05 · Latin America · Apple · Mac OS 9 FAQ · Brazil
On January 9, 2001, Apple announced immediate shipping of Mac OS 9.1: US$99 at US retail and a free download for Mac OS 9 customers. Apple described it as the basis for Classic, its application compatibility technology in Mac OS X. In May it announced new Macs with both systems preinstalled and 9.1 as the default startup system; having both installed does not mean starting both at once.
Apple Newsroom · 2001-01-09 · Apple Newsroom · 2001-05-21
Updates 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 stay within this entry. Apple aimed them at better Classic compatibility and G3/G4 system support, with a model list that excludes the original PowerBook G3. Dates vary with the package language: there is no single universal date for every download. Early-2001 iMacs at 400, 500 and 600 MHz are documented here with factory-installed 9.1 and an upgrade path to 9.2.2 through 9.2.1.
Apple 120030 · archived PDF · external preservation · Apple 75186 · Internet Archive · Apple Support · iMac (Early 2001)
Dates documented by Apple
Selected dates, not a complete history. Announcement, shipping and language-specific package dates are distinct. This page language does not change the package language. No build numbers.
ISO date: year-month-day.
Version: 9.1
Scope or package language: United States
Immediate-shipping announcement; US retail price
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.1
Scope or package language: North American English
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.1
Scope or package language: Spanish
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.1
Scope or package language: French
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.1
Scope or package language: German
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.1
Scope or package language: Simplified Chinese
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.2
Scope or package language: North American English
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.2
Scope or package language: Spanish
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.2
Scope or package language: French
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.2
Scope or package language: German
Update package
Apple source ↗Version: 9.2.2
Scope or package language: Simplified Chinese
Update package
Apple source ↗Apple documents 120030 and 75186 are consulted through archived copies; the first is a PDF preserved on an external site. Dates follow the original tables, not archive or modification dates.
Devices and compatibility
iMac G3 (400 MHz, Early 2001) (2001)
9.1
Mac OS 9.1 included at the factory, per Apple's February 2001 specifications.
iMac G3 (400 MHz, Early 2001) (2001)
9.2.2
Documented path: 9.1 → 9.2.1 → 9.2.2. Not a factory-installation claim or a guarantee for every feature or peripheral.
iMac G3 (500 MHz, Early 2001) (2001)
9.1
Mac OS 9.1 included at the factory, per Apple's February 2001 specifications.
iMac G3 (500 MHz, Early 2001) (2001)
9.2.2
Documented path: 9.1 → 9.2.1 → 9.2.2. Not a factory-installation claim or a guarantee for every feature or peripheral.
iMac G3 Special Edition (600 MHz, Early 2001) (2001)
9.1
Mac OS 9.1 included at the factory, per Apple's February 2001 specifications.
iMac G3 Special Edition (600 MHz, Early 2001) (2001)
9.2.2
Documented path: 9.1 → 9.2.1 → 9.2.2. Not a factory-installation claim or a guarantee for every feature or peripheral.