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I'm currently writing up some documentation for a project that has two implementations of the same feature: One uses Cocoa (10.10+) for compatibility and the other, SwiftUI (10.15+).

When referring to the Cocoa build, should one use the "deprecated" name? ie.

  • OS X 10.10 and higher
  • macOS 10.10 and higher

Bonus question: When referring to a project that is universally compatible with both iOS and iPadOS (all of my UIKit projects, essentially), is it proper to simply refer to it as an "iOS project?" Or would it be more accurate to include both variations of the OS name?

Dávid Pásztor
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JDev
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2 Answers2

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Apple's docs are using macOS even for builds before the rename. Using NSStackView's docs, you can see they're using "macOS 10.9+".

In practice, people won't be confused if you use them interchangeably though.

Update for the bonus question: Apple's docs provide answers here, too! Looking at SwiftUI's List, you can see that they don't call out iPadOS specifically, and just lump it in with iOS.

piebie
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According to the Apple Style Guide, you should use "OS X Yosemite 10.10 or later" (except in developer documentation, which uses "macOS" when the range includes 10.12 or later versions). Here's the relevant section:

Mac operating systems have a version name and a version number. If you include both the name and the number, place the name first. Don’t place the name in quotation marks, and don’t include the word version or the letter v.

To refer to specific versions of the Mac operating system, follow these guidelines, depending on the version number:

  • 10.12 or later: Use macOS. To refer to a specific version of macOS, you can use its name, its version number, or both. Always include macOS.

        macOS Sierra
        macOS 10.12
        macOS Sierra 10.12

  • 10.8 through 10.11: Use OS X. To refer to a specific version of OS X, you can use its name, its version number, or both. Always include OS X.

        OS X El Capitan
        OS X 10.11
        OS X El Capitan 10.11

  • 10.0 through 10.7: Use Mac OS X. Include the version number only.

        Correct: Mac OS X 10.7

        Incorrect: Mac OS X Lion 10.7

When referring to a range of OS versions that includes both macOS and earlier versions, use the name (or version number) of the earliest version followed by or later.

    Correct: To use Handoff, you must have OS X Yosemite 10.10 or later installed.

    Incorrect: To use Handoff, you must have macOS Yosemite 10.10 or later installed. [Version 10.10 was called OS X, not macOS.]

Exception: If a range of versions includes both macOS and earlier versions, developer publications refer to all included versions as macOS.

Gordon Davisson
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