Feb 23, 2011 10:46 GMT  ·  By

Apple has released the sixth beta of Mac OS X 10.6.7 via its developer channel, allowing select programmers to test out the newest Snow Leopard build which focuses on Safari, the Mac App Store, AirPort, Bonjour, SMB and Graphics Drivers.

Seeded just five days after the previous release, and bearing no known issues, Mac OS X 10.6.7 Build 10J860 is accompanied by the usual seed note which asks developers to focus on key elements like AirPort, Bonjour, SMB and Graphics Drivers.

In addition to those core OS components, Apple is specifically asking developers to focus their testing skills on Safari, the company’s proprietary web browser, and the Mac App Store.

To download the latest beta of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, developers must log in with their credentials at Apple's Mac Dev Center.

Notably, the documentation accompanying most 10.6.7 builds has changed very little with every new beta released through Apple’s developer channel, signaling that Mac OS X 10.6.7 will be the last of any planned Snow Leopard maintenance updates.

Apple has confirmed on several occasions that it plans to release Mac OS X Lion, the next-generation Mac OS, during a Summer 2011 event - likely the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

Lion is touted as a major new breakthrough in desktop computing, one that clearly outshines Apple’s timid leap from Leopard to Snow Leopard in 2009.

Released on August 28, 2009, Snow Leopard focused on "under the hood" changes, increasing the performance, efficiency, and stability of the operating system, rather than delivering big changes to the appearance and end-user functionality, much like the previous releases of Mac OS X.

But Apple now feels there’s room for change, with iOS taking off extremely well thanks to the iPhone and iPad.

Lion will thus integrate key elements from both the company’s operating systems, unifying the experience for die-hard Apple fans, while hopefully attracting newcomers with a more intuitive desktop computing solution.