14 DAY TRIAL // Apple this week seeded the first OS X 10.8.1 build to developers asking them to focus their testing efforts on key components of the operating system, including Active Directory, USB, Wi-Fi and audio, and more.
The OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1 build 12B13 Seed Note says “OS X Mountain Lion Update 10.8.1 is an update to OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.”
Developers say the document arrives with installation instructions, with Apple noting that “The OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1 Update (Delta) updates OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 GM.”
“Please be aware that you will not be able to revert back to your previous system after updating,” the documentations says. “Please install this update on a system you are prepared to erase if necessary.”
The build strangely arrives with “no known issue,” which means Apple must’ve patched the problems plaguing Mountain Lion that are being actively discussed on forums and tech blogs worldwide. Hopefully, that includes a more reliable Save As function.
The list of Focus Areas mentions Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange in Mail, PAC proxies in Safari, SMB, USB, as well as Wi-Fi and audio when connected to Thunderbolt display. In other words, these are areas where Apple believes more testing needs to be done to ensure there are no more bugs.
That’s not to say there aren’t other system components that might prove to be in need of maintenance at a later date.
According to those privy to the software, the disk image required to perform a delta update to OS X 10.8.1 build 12B13 is only 38.54MB in size. Once installed, the software actually occupies even less space on the tester’s hard drive - 36.4MB.
Developers who have already begun testing have noticed that Facebook integration is not included.
Apple may be required to seed a second build, perhaps even a third, before OS X 10.8.1 makes it to Final status, should any serious bugs be reported.
The company is also known to have prepared adjacent test builds for select customers participating in the AppleSeed program.
Developers looking to download OS X 10.8.1 can visit Apple's Mac Dev Center here. A paid developer account is required to download the bits.