Apple issues macOS Big Sur 11.1 release candidate developer beta

Posted:
in macOS edited December 2020
Apple has provided developers with a new beta of macOS Big Sur version 11.1, with the company labeling it the release candidate after only three cycles.




Apple offers downloads of its betas through the Apple Developer Center, for participants in its developer test program, though hardware already running beta software can also receive an over-the-air update. Public beta variants usually arrive a short time after developer versions, and can be accessed through the Apple Beta Software Program website.

This is the third round of betas for this generation of macOS, following the second release on December 3, and the first on November 17.

Neither the first nor second beta of macOS Big Sur 11.1 indicated there would be new features in the release. It is likely that the improvements will center upon performance and bug fixes, especially considering the influx of Mac hardware using the M1 processors.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, highly recommend users don't install betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, due to the potential for data loss or other issues. It is instead recommended to install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to ensure there are sufficient backups of important data beforehand.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    Good news!
  • Reply 2 of 4
    Hope this update will improve performance...my Mac Mini 3 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i5 32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4 is unable to preview videos smoothly; all runs very choppy and not the half smooth as it was in Catalina...I'm really disappointed.

  • Reply 3 of 4
    jmackenna said:
    Hope this update will improve performance...my Mac Mini 3 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i5 32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4 is unable to preview videos smoothly; all runs very choppy and not the half smooth as it was in Catalina...I'm really disappointed.

    You must have other problems.  You should do a clean install on a fast external SSD and test it.  I am running Big Sur 11.1 (and all prior versions of Big Sur) on an external USB 3.0 SSD on my 2015 MacBook Pro with 2.8 quad-core i7 with 16GB RAM and everything runs smoothly, and the external SSD is not nearly as fast as the internal SSD (which is my main Mojave drive).  Odd comment to make considering Catalina was a mess.
    edited December 2020
  • Reply 4 of 4
    The public beta release of 11.1 RC was available yesterday too.  No mention of beta or a beta build number on this release.  The build is 20C69.
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