When:
Lookups spiked on June 10, 2013.
Why:
Apple previewed its new operating system, "OS X Mavericks."
Maverick means "an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party" – a definition that evokes the notion of the free-spirited Apple user.
In fact, the OS is named after Mavericks, a legendary surfing spot in Northern California. That spot is supposedly named after a dog that accompanied the three surfers who first conquered the big waves off Pillar Point.
The original meaning of maverick is "an unbranded calf" – and there's a good story behind it. When a client gave Samuel A. Maverick 400 cattle to settle a debt, the 19th-century Texas lawyer had no use for them, so he left the cattle unbranded and allowed them to roam freely. Free-ranging individuals have been called "mavericks" ever since.
