Apple OS X Mavericks reportedly set for late October launch

Apple OS X Mavericks marks a departure from the cat-themed operating systems of yore. 

Back in June, Apple took the wraps off a new desktop OS called Mavericks, but stopped short of specifying an actual launch date, saying only that the software would arrive this fall. 

Today comes news, courtesy of 9 to 5 Mac, that the official OS X Mavericks launch is scheduled for late October, after the release of iOS 7, Apple's new mobile operating system. 

"For the launch of both OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion, Apple released the new operating systems the day following an earning results release," writes Mark Gurman of 9 to 5 Mac. "Apple traditionally shares its Q4 earnings numbers during the second half of October, so perhaps Apple will release Mavericks the day following its Q4 results announcement." 

Standard caveats apply: Mr. Gurman attributes to his report to "sources with knowledge of the launch plans," and Apple isn't commenting. Still, Gurman has a pretty solid track record with Apple rumors, and it makes sense that Apple would want to release the new desktop OS separately from iOS 7, which will likely be shown off in conjunction with the next iPhone (probably the iPhone 5S, if you're keeping track). 

For all the previous versions of OS X, save the beta, which was called "Kodiak," Apple used big cat names – "Cheetah"; "Lion"; "Tiger," etc. But Cupertino apparently ran out of mammalian monikers. "We don’t want to be the first development team to be delayed by the lack of big cats," Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi told TechCrunch. 

The next few iterations of the software will be named after locations in California. Mavericks, for instance, is a popular surfing spot in the north of the state. 

For more on what's inside OS X Mavericks, check out the Monitor's report from earlier this year.