If your Mac has the exact name of another Mac on your local network, a number is added to the local network name. Formerly Apple Computer, the name change reflects the company’s newfound emphasis on consumer electronics.

For example, if your computer’s name is My Computer, your local network name is My-Computer.local. Although everyone knows that Apple Computer was named after the namesake fruit, Steve Jobs has never talked about where the name came from — until now (AFAIK). Your computer’s local hostname is displayed beneath the computer’s name at the top of Sharing preferences. Jobs revealed the change following announcements on the new Apple … If your computer name is not recognized by Bonjour, the local network name is Macintosh… The local network name is your computer’s name with .local added, and any spaces are replaced with hyphens (-).