Saying that they didn't want to endanger development due to lack of big cats, they chose Mavericks, which is a popular destination for surfers in California. This part of a larger shift towards California. The announcement was made in June 2013.
Which company made this announcement?
[+ Show Answer]
Apple, whose OS X operating system has tradionally had 'big cat' codenames. The tenth big release, which came out in 2013, is called "Mavericks", is the first in a new series of California-based names.
More here.