14 DAY TRIAL // Apple this week offers the fourth OS X 10.9.3 beta to developers asking them to focus on graphics, audio, the Safari web browser, and other test areas found in previous builds. The update is known to feature support for displays with 4K resolutions and 60Hz output.
Released yesterday evening as the last software update of the week, OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D28 supersedes build 13D21 which landed on March 20. The same set of focus areas is touted, including Graphics Drivers, Audio, the Safari web browser (at version 7.0.3), Contacts & Calendar sync over USB in iTunes, and Mail.
The general population is running OS X 10.9.2, an incremental update delivered in March with various tweaks and fixes, as well as a number of new features. These include FaceTime audio calls, call waiting support, the ability to block incoming iMessages from individual senders, and improved accuracy of unread counts in Mail.
OS X 10.9.2 was also said to resolve an issue that prevented Mail from receiving new messages from certain providers. Apparently, more testing is needed to improve Mail’s features.
Other changes included in 10.9.2 were improved AutoFill compatibility in Safari, improved reliability when connecting to a file server using SMB2, and improved VoiceOver navigation in Mail and Finder.
The update fixed an issue that caused audio distortion on certain Macs (with more testing being needed on the audio front in OS X 10.9.3), an issue that caused VPN connections to disconnect, and an important fix for a widely reported SSL vulnerability. Many other security patches were also included as part of the 10.9.2 update.
Unlike previous Mavericks seeds, the new OS X 10.9.3 build 13D28 doesn’t arrive in tandem with an updated beta of Xcode.
According to a person familiar with the build, Apple tells developers that “This build is being provided to you for testing and development purposes. Should you encounter any problems, please submit a bug report using the online Bug Reporter at bugreporter.apple.com.”
As usual, testers are told to include “a Summary, Steps to Reproduce, Expected Results, Actual Results, and the diagnostic output generated by running ‘sudo sysdiagnose’ in the Terminal.”
Early 10.9.3 betas showed signs of Apple working to add support for 60Hz output from Retina MacBook Pros and compatibility with 4K displays. It’s hard to estimate when OS X 10.9.3 will be deployed publicly. Apple usually spends months developing these updates, but some are released in the wild in a matter of weeks.