Archive chapter
What changed across Apple in 2009: ecosystem turning points, hardware launches, software releases and the support boundaries that moved with them.
Software history
Verified public releases in 2009, including major-version milestones, maintenance updates and products that lost major-version support.
iPhone OS / iOS
9 public releases in this major line · 8 point updates
iPhone OS 3.0 introduced system-wide cut, copy, and paste.
Messaging expanded with MMS support and additional media-sharing capabilities.
Spotlight added system-wide search across core information and applications.
Voice Memos became a built-in app while more Apple apps gained landscape keyboards.
Mac OS X / OS X / macOS
9 public releases in this major line · 8 point updates
Snow Leopard focused on hundreds of refinements and a smaller, faster system rather than a major interface redesign.
New core technologies targeted multicore CPUs and GPU computing for future Mac software.
Built-in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 support integrated Mail, iCal, and Address Book with enterprise services.
Apple TV Software / tvOS
3 public releases in this major line · 2 point updates
Apple TV 3.0 introduced a redesigned main menu intended to make favorite content easier to reach.
The update brought richer iTunes movie extras and album presentation to the television.
Music playback expanded with Genius Mixes and Internet radio stations.
Photo browsing gained support for iPhoto Events and Faces organization.
Public release history
12 public point updates are recorded for this year. Expand a platform to inspect the version-by-version release dates.
Hardware releases
Filters below affect the hardware list only. Product relationships and generation deltas still come from the canonical lineage catalog.
6 catalogued products
iPod · shuffle
The third shuffle removes body controls, becomes dramatically smaller, and introduces VoiceOver plus playlist navigation through inline earphone controls.
VoiceOver spoken song/artist/playlist information.
Multiple playlist navigation.
Playback controls move to the earphone cable.
Dedicated playback control pad on the player body.
iPhone · Standard
A refinement generation focused on speed, video capture, and voice control.
Apple positioned 3GS around substantially faster performance than iPhone 3G.
The camera gained video capture plus a 3-megapixel autofocus still camera.
Mac · MacBook Pro
The 13-inch MacBook Pro established a smaller Pro model around the aluminum unibody design and an integrated long-life battery.
13-inch MacBook Pro model with a built-in battery rated for up to seven hours of wireless productivity.
SD card slot and FireWire 800 port.
LED-backlit display with 60 percent greater color gamut than the model it replaced.
iPod · nano
A video camera, microphone, speaker, FM radio and larger display make the fifth nano the most feature-dense click-wheel nano.
Built-in video camera, microphone and speaker.
FM radio with Live Pause and iTunes Tagging.
Pedometer.
iPod · touch
The third-generation iPod touch concentrates on faster 32GB/64GB hardware and lower entry pricing as the App Store ecosystem scales.
32GB and 64GB higher-performance configurations.
The product line shifts further toward portable apps and games.
Mac · iMac
The late-2009 iMac introduced 21.5-inch and 27-inch widescreen options in an edge-to-edge glass and seamless aluminum design.
21.5-inch and 27-inch LED-backlit 16:9 displays, including a 2560-by-1440 27-inch option.
Wireless Magic Mouse with a Multi-Touch surface.
SD card slot and optional Core i5 or Core i7 quad-core processors.