OS X Yosemite Public Beta Starts This Week

Back at WWDC 2014 when Apple unveiled its next major OS X update it said that apart from seeding beta versions to developers it will also conduct a public beta program, allowing non-developers to get in on the action as well. Today the company has delivered on that promise. Sign ups for the OS X Yosemite public beta have been opened up, the software itself will be pushed out this week.

Apple is quick to note that the OS X Yosemite public beta is limited to the first one million people who sign up for it today. You can sign up right now through Apple’s website, though given the hype behind this release, it is likely that all spots will be signed up for relatively quickly.

Since this is beta firmware after all Apple recommends not installing it on your primary Mac. This would ensure that there aren’t any issues with your main work machine and it is certainly the logical thing to do. Don’t forget to backup all data on the Mac on which you install Yosemite should you score a beta spot. Apple will ship updates periodically and recommends that users install them right away.

Some on Yosemite’s features, like integration with iOS 8, won’t be available until the mobile software gets updated. Apple isn’t running a similar public beta program for iOS 8, but Yosemite itself has countless new features and a brand new user interface that Mac users would love to try out. Public release of Yosemite is slated for the fall.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Apple, Computers
Tags: OS X Yosemite