14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that Apple is gearing up to launch the latest Mavericks maintenance update, as the newest beta seeded to developers carries just two extra build numbers, the same set of focus areas, and no known issues. The update could be deployed anytime this week.
Yesterday evening, the computer giant greeted its sea of developers with OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D45a, which adds just two incremental build numbers (from the earlier 13D43 beta). The build number also includes the letter “a” towards the end. It isn’t immediately clear what this designation indicates.
Developers are again told, “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.”
Testers are encouraged to mention the exact build number in their bug reporting, in order to ensure that the bug is processed rapidly.
“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,” the Mac maker adds.
First-time OS X testers need to log into their developer account on the Mac Dev Center, download the OS X Software Update Seed Configuration Utility, and then proceed to request the Mavericks beta through the Mac App Store.
“After running the installer, the Mac App Store will open automatically. Click on the Updates panel and the latest version of OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 seed will now be available for download,” says the Cupertino giant.
According to a person who is familiar with the seed notes, Apple says OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D45a focuses on Graphics Drivers, Audio, Safari, Mail, and Contacts & Calendar sync over USB in iTunes.
These are the test focus areas that programmers must look at when submitting their bugs to the mother ship, but bug reporting is not exclusive to these particular areas (i.e. developers can report any type of bug they encounter in their testing).
Given the short build number span (13D43 – 13D45a), it appears that the company is looking to wrap up development on this new Mavericks update, delivering the latest tweaks and security fixes as usual.
Apple generally doesn’t announce the release of these updates ahead of time, but we have every indication that OS X 10.9.3 could arrive anytime this week, perhaps as early as this evening or tomorrow.