Apple launches first public beta of macOS High Sierra
After a false start earlier this week, Apple on Thursday issued the first public beta of macOS High Sierra, available to anyone registered with the company's Beta Software Program.
People interested in testing out the preview can sign up at beta.apple.com. Apple is recommending that users install the software only on a secondary Mac, and make a backup of that device beforehand.
The new code is listed as build 17A291m, marking a slight revision from the second developer beta, which was build 17A291j. Indeed Apple has reissued the latter using the new build -- it's not yet clear what adjustments have been made.
High Sierra is due to launch as a free update this fall. The software will support standards like Metal 2 and H.265/HEVC video, and transition to the Apple File System, already in use on iOS 10.3.x devices. Apple is also planning miscellaneous upgrades to apps like Photos, Mail, and Safari.
By spring 2018, the OS will officially support external Thunderbolt 3 GPUs, enabling high-level graphics normally reserved for gaming PCs and workstations.
People interested in testing out the preview can sign up at beta.apple.com. Apple is recommending that users install the software only on a secondary Mac, and make a backup of that device beforehand.
The new code is listed as build 17A291m, marking a slight revision from the second developer beta, which was build 17A291j. Indeed Apple has reissued the latter using the new build -- it's not yet clear what adjustments have been made.
High Sierra is due to launch as a free update this fall. The software will support standards like Metal 2 and H.265/HEVC video, and transition to the Apple File System, already in use on iOS 10.3.x devices. Apple is also planning miscellaneous upgrades to apps like Photos, Mail, and Safari.
By spring 2018, the OS will officially support external Thunderbolt 3 GPUs, enabling high-level graphics normally reserved for gaming PCs and workstations.
Comments
/s
Jumping in, head first, on my every day iMac 2012.
if this was the final version that would be different; but you should know the risks going in with beta software.
Maybe there's a corollary to Poe's Law, possibly the Shea-Wilson Corollary: Even clearly labelling something as satire, parody, or sarcasm is no guarantee that it will not be taken seriously by some people.
Yes, I always provide feedback to Apple.
I even check marked to upgrade to APFS
Hoping all goes well
Surely you are kidding.
If you're not doing anything critical with the computer (e.g. you're not a programmer or designer or something that requires you to use the laptop) then at worse you get some crashes (you should have your data backed up anyway regardless if you run a beta or a stable OS).
Tons of people who don't need the computer for full everyday work (e.g. students, geeky people at no-PC requiring jobs etc) go ahead and install betas. And indeed, most of the time public betas are already stable enough, with most things having been ironed out at internal alphas and early developer betas. Usually you just find some random crashes in some programs, or some other programs not being compatible with the new system libs, etc.
I have all my stuff on iCloud and have 0 issues with either so I know that's I'm good to go. I only have one maybe two apps that I have not downloaded from Mac App Store so I'm confident that if it all goes pear shaped I can roll back to Sierra normally if I need to.
Best way to test is to use it extensively and therefore a main machine makes a lot of sense in many respects.
Also, I see TWO Macintosh HD's in my Finder side bar.
It is working away, so I am going to let it keep doing its thing, then I will reboot in a few hours, or when it settles down.
You could also make a 2nd partition and install the beta on it. Then if you get sick of using it, or if you just want to go back to Sierra, you just reboot back to your main partition. I've done this in the past as well.
Lately, I've just wanted to be surprised by the OS, meaning using it for the first time when Apple actually releases it rather than being spoiled by beta releases. I guess its old school, but lately, I like this approach.