September 10, 2002: OS X Only!

The transition from classic Mac OS to OS X was not always a pleasant one. While most Mac customers were impressed by OS X, many wanted to keep OS 9 as a booting option.

The argument to keep OS 9 had a certain plausibility. Why be forced to go OS X if you were already happy and productive with OS 9? Apple didn't care about the fans of the Classic OS. The company rightly saw OS X as the only hope for the future. To the dismay of many OS 9 fans (and yes, there actually were diehard OS 9 fans) Apple announced that every new Mac would boot only into OS X. Those wanting to use classic programs would be forced to get by with emulation.

The path to the future was blazed and the OS 9 diehards were non-plussed when Apple said that every new Mac would be OS X starting with the New Year this week in 2003.