14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re looking to get a taste of OS X Yosemite and are unsure if your Mac will support it, we have some terrific news for you. Basically, if your Mac can handle OS X Mavericks, it can also handle Yosemite.
According to Apple’s developer documentation, “OS X v10.10 Developer Preview 1 is pre-release software.”
The Mac maker advises developers not to use the software in a commercial operating environment or with important data and urges testers to back up all their data before installing the software. Failed installations can be repaired with Disk Utility from a Recovery HD.
“Before You Download OS X Yosemite from the Mac App Store, ensure you are using a 64-bit, Intel-based Mac running either Mac OS X v10.6.8 Snow Leopard or later,” Apple says.
Testers must have at least 8GB of free disk space to install OS X v10.10 and those looking to develop applications in Yosemite will be required to download Xcode 6 beta. However, considering how many known issues are still present in OS X 10.10, application development is ill-advised.
The company outlines the hardware requirements as well. According to the documentation, “The OS X v10.10 Developer Preview supports the following Macs: iMac (Mid 2007 or newer), MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer), MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer), Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer), MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer), Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer), Xserve (Early 2009).”
Ceremoniously announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday, OS X Yosemite brings a refreshed look, updated Mail and Safari, new continuity features that let you start an activity on one device and complete it on another, a Today view in Notification Center, app widgets, iCloud Drive, and Instant Hotspot to use the Internet from your iPhone. Yosemite even lets you take calls on your Mac.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, lauded the new additions saying, “Yosemite is the future of OS X with its incredible new design and amazing new apps, all engineered to work beautifully with iOS.”
“We engineer our platforms, services and devices together, so we are able to create a seamless experience for our users across all our products that is unparalleled in the industry. It’s something only Apple can deliver,” added Federighi.
To download OS X Yosemite Developer Preview, all you need is a Mac Developer Program membership.