14 DAY TRIAL // Apple on Monday seeded the sixth beta of OS X 10.10 to select testers from a pool of regular users, while tomorrow we can expect the final bits to be released to everyone else as part of the company’s planned event in Cupertino, California.
Scheduled to make its debut this fall, Yosemite is the eleventh major release of Apple’s Mac operating system delivering an all-new flat look with improved typography, iconography, and integration with other devices in the Apple ecosystem.
Sixth public beta
The Cupertino company used to employ the AppleSeed program to select individuals from the Mac customer base and hand them beta builds of an upcoming version of OS X for ironing out bugs, as well as to receive feedback on potential usability issues.
The initiative started a few years ago and continued with OS X Yosemite. However, with Yosemite Apple decided to not discriminate and allow a million random users join the testing initiative. People basically just had to hurry up and download the software. There were no specific requirements to be a tester, aside from the system specs.
Testers are now receiving the sixth beta which they can effortlessly download through the Mac App Store. Registered developers are working with a nearly-identical Yosemite build that differs by a few increments (when comparing build numbers).
Not too late to join
Apparently there is still time to hop on the Yosemite Beta Seed Program and download your own beta copy of OS X 10.10.
“The OS X Beta Seed Program gives users the opportunity to run pre-release software. Test-drive beta software and provide quality and usability feedback that will help make OS X even better,” according to Apple.
“Join the OS X Beta Seed Program and accept the Beta Seed and Confidentiality Agreement. Apple will provide a Beta Access Utility for your Mac, which gives you access to pre-release versions of OS X in the Mac App Store Updates panel,” says the Mac maker.
While the text could simply be out of date, there’s a good chance there still are a few spots left. To verify, visit Apple at this address: https://appleseed.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/.
Admittedly, it’s kind of pointless to download a beta of Yosemite with the final build waiting to launch tomorrow (most likely), but if your hands are itching to get an early start, by all means go ahead and install the beta. Just make sure you back up your old system first. Beta software is what it is.