A secret project, a stubborn developer, and lots of shiny icons: here’s the story behind macOS’ Dock as it turns 25
- The macOS Dock debuted 25 years ago and became an iconic and easy-to-use design feature
- Developer James Thomson shaped the origins of the Dock, drawing inspiration from his DragThing app
- The Dock inspired industry-wide innovations and shaped Microsoft’s taskbar and modern desktop interfaces
If you’ve ever used a Mac, you’ve probably noticed the row of app icons at the bottom of the screen.
As any regular macOS user knows, this is the Dock, a now iconic (though quite subtle) feature that keeps essential apps at your fingertips, just a click away, as well as any apps you want to add – and it’s now officially 25 years old . It’s become a core element that macOS users have come to expect in every new edition of the operating system, and it has an interesting backstory.
The origin story of the Dock goes something like this: In the late 1990s, Apple was building a new operating system, Mac OS introduced in Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah. The Dock did not always look like it does now; initially it was just a row of plain square icons. The polished, shiny design we know today came later, thanks to a designer’s prototype, and it was Apple developer James Thomson’s job to turn those ideas into real, working code.
James Thomson is known for creating a popular calculator app called PCalc and he had also previously designed a Mac app called DragThing. This app worked like an early version of the Dock, allowing users to keep shortcuts to apps and files visible and easier to access on their desktop. It was actually his work on DragThing that landed him a job at Apple, where he was asked to help build the Dock.
From Ireland to iconic
The project, codenamed ‘Überbar’, was top secret. Thomson recalls in musings on his blog about strict secrecy measures, including rumors that leaked screenshots can be traced back to specific computers.
Thomson lived in Ireland when he worked for Apple, but Steve Jobs apparently wasn’t happy about a major developer being so far away from the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California (where Apple is still based today). Jobs insisted that Thomson move permanently to the US – or else. Thomson refused and ultimately resigned before the Mac OS X Dock was completed. Another engineer rewrote it for the final release of Mac OS
Even though Thomson didn’t stay at Apple, the experience helped him revive DragThing for Mac OS X, and PCalc continues to thrive to this day. The Dock has obviously become a signature feature of macOS, and it’s a testament to how simple, easy-to-use design can stand the test of time.
How macOS paved the way for modern interface design
The macOS Dock has significantly influenced the design evolution of Microsoft’s taskbar, especially with the introduction of Windows 7 in 2009. Before that, the Windows taskbar was mainly a space for open program windows and the Start button (which itself turns 31 this year!) , but Apple’s Dock demonstrated how combining app shortcuts with live, interactive icons could make using an operating system easier and more intuitive.
Inspired by the Dock’s ability to merge app launching and multitasking, Microsoft revamped the taskbar in Windows 7 with pinned apps, allowing users to keep frequently used programs accessible at all times – a feature that still exists today in Windows 11, and it’s unlikely this will ever happen. go somewhere quickly.
For all of Windows 7’s (well-documented) shortcomings, this shift has not only modernized the Windows interface, but also shown how innovation by one company can drive user-centric design improvements that everyone in the industry adopts. After all, the interface of virtually every Android phone on the market today is very clearly ‘inspired’ by the tile-based UI of the original iPhone – because it just works.
The macOS Dock’s 25-year journey is a testament to how thoughtful design can make a lasting mark, not just on its native platform, but in the broader tech landscape. From influencing Microsoft’s taskbar to shaping the way we interact with our devices every day, the Dock remains an iconic piece of digital history. As technology continues to evolve, I’m excited to see companies, including Apple, build on these foundations and create new features that will redefine the way we interact with our devices and the software on them in the years to come.
If you want to know more about how the Dock was developed, I really recommend reading James Thomson’s stories on his blog.