Apple released the preview version of its new desktop operating system this week. Here’s everything you need to know about getting it.
Apple Thursday released the first public beta of macOS High Sierra, the desktop operating system slated for a fall debut.
The beta lets anyone with a Mac — including workers with their BYOD MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros, and IT admins responsible for supporting Apple’s OS — try out the upgrade, test application compatibility and explore its new features and functionality.
If the past is any predictor, as many as 3 million Mac owners worldwide — the number estimated to have downloaded and installed last year’s public beta of macOS Sierra — will give High Sierra a go before Apple taps it as done.
But Apple runs its public beta program a lot differently than does Microsoft, the enterprise king. We have the proof: Questions about everything from release cadence to support. With answers, naturally.
Access is what separates the public beta from its predecessor, the developer-only beta Apple debuted June 5 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) . That version was available only to registered developers, who pay $99 annually to download previews, utilize Apple’s APIs and submit products to the company’s App Store and Mac App Store.
After registering, each Mac must be „enrolled“ in the public beta by downloading and installing the macOS Public Beta Access Utility, available from this website. A similar download — called a „configuration profile“ — must be retrieved and installed on an iOS device, such as an iPad Pro or iPhone, to enroll it in the beta.
Once the Mac has been enlisted in the program, and the first beta is manually downloaded and installed from the Mac App Store, future updates will be automatically offered to said Mac. Enrolled iPhones and iPads will be proffered the public beta; to download and install iOS 11, choose „Settings > General > Software Update.“
Apple followed with the first iOS public beta in 2015 when it previewed iOS 9.
Unlike, say, Windows Insider, Microsoft’s public preview program, there’s no way for an IT administrator to set multiple Macs so that they can access, download, install and run the High Sierra preview. Each Mac user must enroll their device (s) using their own Apple ID.
An admin’s best bet would be to craft an email that points employees to the appropriate URLs, such as the registration page and enrollment page .
In the past three years, Apple released seven (Sierra, 2016) , six (El Capitan, 2015) and six (Yosemite, 2014) public betas, with a new version appearing, on average, every two weeks.
Apple doesn’t offer support, not even a dedicated user-to-user discussion support group where queries to more experienced hands can be made. Compared to Microsoft, which regularly publishes posts to its Insider blog and hosts multiple Insider-specific discussion groups, Apple runs a bare bones beta.
On a Mac, pick „System Preferences“ from the Apple menu, then click the „App Store“ icon. Click the „Change“ button next to the line „Your computer is set to receive beta software updates, “ then confirm by choosing „Do Not Show Beta Software Updates“ in the ensuing dialog.
When High Sierra releases this fall, you can install it from the Mac App Store without having to revert to the version that ran the Mac before the public beta was applied.
You did that, right?
Running beta without a backup in the bag is like driving without a seat belt. And no airbags. In a car without headlights. At night. In the rain.
That’s especially true if the machine or device running the beta is the only one in your possession. (Frankly, that will be the case for most who run an Apple preview, whether they’re a consumer or employed by a Fortune 100 multi-national.)
Back up the Mac using the already-on-the-system’s Time Machine application. If you’ve never backed up a Mac, this support document spells it out.
For an iPhone or iPad, it’s best to back up using iTunes. Here’s how. Alternately, you can do an over-the-air backup to your iCloud account. (Those who rely on Microsoft Exchange — whether on the company premises or through Office 365 — should take the iTunes route, as it backs up the messages that have previously been downloaded to the device.)
