iPhone is running MAC OS X

The exciting new iPhone is running an Apple operating system called Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger". This is the logical continuation of the “Leopard” operating system that Apple and Apple supporters have called revolutionary. A stated goal of all versions of MAC OS is to have a polished appearance on the screen. This is what separates the Apple operating system from Windows®, according to Apple fans and Mac Fanatics.

Choosing the right OS for the iPhone was very important for Apple. Their main objective was to have something proprietary to Apple, that they could fully support and update. With many patents protecting the MAC OS for the iPhone, it will be extremely difficult for other companies to fully replicate the features of this truly amazing new phone. A competitive advantage is something Apple is used to, as they have a history providing by operating systems and hardware to their very loyal (and ever-expanding) customer base. Maintaining control of both the hardware and software of the iPhone can be seen as a logical extension of the Apple marketing strategy.

MAC OS X for iPhone supports the following languages: English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Brazilian and Portuguese. As a result, adoption of the iPhone in many different countries will be a natural for Apple.

The iPhone OS is very lightweight operating system, with minimal requirements for smooth operation on the Phone. No doubt that the iPhone’s architecture is more than adequate to ensure smooth operation.

Here’s a list of the hardware requirements to run Mac OS X:

PowerPC G3, G4 or G5 processor
Built-in FireWire
DVD drive for installation/
256MB of RAM
3GB of available hard disk space (4GB if you install the developer tools)

As part of standard OS features, iPhone provides support for the following

Rich HTML email
Web browsing with Safari
Calendar
Text messaging
Address Book
Weather
Stocks
Maps
Notes
YouTube.

iPhone OS X is an UNIX-based operating system that is very robust as well as secure. UNIX is also known for supporting multi-tasking very well, so there will be no problems for iPhone to perform multi-tasking.

Graphics is one of the most important aspects of OS X, or any OS that Apple has worked on, for that matter. The latest incarnation of Apple’s OS takes it another mile. According to Apple, “The Mac OS X graphics system combines 2D, 3D, and time-based media standards using an industry-leading compositing window system for a rich yet seamless user experience.”

Jobs convincingly presented the iPhone to the public, making an impressive display of the reach of the iPhone’s 3D graphics capability (made possible by the use of OS X). OpenGL is used for visualizing 3D shapes and textures on OS X for the iPhone; OpenGL is an open-source technology built by Apple users to be used by Apple users, and the company seems to be making good use of this unique relationship with its customer base.