14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is offering the latest Mavericks beta for download, currently only to developers enrolled with the company’s paid coding programs. Despite opening OS X beta seed availability to the general population, regular customers are yet to be offered the test build.
Featuring the same focus areas as the builds before it and 10 extra increments to its version number, OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D55 is currently available to registered Apple developers.
Apple last week opened OS X betas to the public, allowing regular customers to sign up and receive Mavericks test builds on a regular basis, just like people enrolled with Apple’s annual Mac Developer Program. So far, build 13D55 has not been made available for download to end users. The only available build, which is also the first one to be deployed to the masses via the new seeding program, is 13D45a.
The focus areas in OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D55 are Graphics Drivers, Audio, Safari, Mail, and Contacts & Calendar sync over USB in iTunes, and developers are urged to report their findings using the included bug reporter.
“When submitting a bug report, please make sure to include a Summary, Steps to Reproduce, Expected Results, Actual Results, and the diagnostic output generated by running ‘sudo sysdiagnose’ in the Terminal,” Apple says, according to a person who is familiar with the seed notes.
Developers who are downloading a Mavericks beta for the first time must visit the Mac Dev Center with their credentials in hand, log in, and request the OS X Software Update Seed Configuration Utility.
Once installed, the OS X Software Update Seed Configuration Utility will launch the Mac App Store and display the newest Mavericks beta as available for download through the Updates tab.
Much like the paid developer program, the new OS X Beta Seed Program for regular people gives users the opportunity to run pre-release software and test-drive OS X builds with the end goal of providing quality and usability feedback that will help Apple model OS X into what the customer wants.
If a high enough number of customers offers the same suggestion for a particular area they want to see changed, Apple will make the necessary adjustments. One has to wonder how many people will urge the company to re-enable “Save As...” in the File menu as a default option (rather than having to hold down the ALT key).