14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is getting ready to release OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 to the public, as the Mac maker has seeded a near-final build to Support staffers, complete with a set of release notes that indicate the focus of the update.
According to an Apple employee, the seed notes accompanying OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D57 state, “The OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 Update is recommended for all OS X Mavericks users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.”
The wording is highly indicative of a final release build, but Apple could still continue development internally.
The release notes go on with some specific enhancements, including “Improved 4K display support on Mac Pro (Late 2013) and MacBook Pro with 15-inch Retina display (Late 2013).”
This particular tidbit has been discovered from the beginning of the development cycle (i.e. the first 10.9.3 betas seeded to developers) and is a highly-anticipated new feature by the professional community.
Another feature known to be making its way into 10.9.3, “the ability to sync contacts and calendars between a Mac and iOS Device using a USB connection,” is also included in the update, according to the leaked seed notes.
Finally, 10.9.3 improves the reliability of VPN connections using IPsec and includes the latest version of Safari (7.0.3).
Apple continues to offer OS X 10.9.3 build 13D45a to registrants of the public seeding program kicked off last week, suggesting that regular testers will receive the latest builds later than developers.
Announced on April 22, “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,” Apple said.
“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,” the Mac maker added.
Customers looking to enroll their Mac must sign in with their Apple ID on the OS X Beta Seed Program page, back up their computer, and download the Beta Access Utility (the equivalent of the OS X Software Update Seed Configuration Utility for developers).
Apple asks customers to note that the information in these betas is “confidential,” meaning users should refrain from publishing seed notes, screenshots, etc.
OS X 10.9.3 could be delivered as early as this evening, though it’s more likely that the update will be released next week.