MacOS Catalina 10.15 Golden Master Released
Apple has released MacOS Catalina 10.15 GM Seed to users enrolled in the beta testing program. The GM seed carries build 19A582a and arrives just a few days after the 10th beta version was released for testing.
Golden Master, abbreviated as GM, typically represents the final version of software that will be released to the public. Sometimes multiple GM seeds are released however, so it’s not yet clear if this build will be the final version. Nonetheless, the release of a GM seed suggests that MacOS Catalina will be released as a final version to the public quite soon. Apple has previously said that MacOS Catalina is to be released in October.
Users who are enrolled in the MacOS Catalina beta testing program can find the GM seed available to download now from the Software Update section of System Preferences.
Beta testers can also access the macOS Catalina 10.15 GM seed download as a profile on the Apple Developer Website.
MacOS Catalina includes a variety of new features for Mac users, including the ability to use an iPad as an external display with SideCar, the dissolution of iTunes into three separate apps for Podcasts, Music, and TV, new system restrictions and security mechanisms, iPhone and iPad device management handling through the Finder, revisions to Photos, Reminders, Notes, and other bundled apps, the abandonment of 32-bit apps, and much more.
MacOS Catalina will be available to install for free on any computer that is compatible with the new operating system, you can see a list of MacOS Catalina supported Macs here.
If you’re a Mac user considering updating to MacOS Catalina, you may want to first check for and find 32-bit apps on the Mac to see if newer 64-bit versions of those apps are available.
For Mac users running the Catalina public beta, they’ll be able to directly update to the GM and final versions when they become available as well.
If you’re thinking of installing the GM but you’re on the fence about running macOS Catalina full time, one option is to dual boot MacOS Catalina with macOS Mojave using APFS volumes. As always, backup your Mac before installing any system software update, or before modifying volumes or drives.
Previous Articles about Catalina, Arcade, and that Apple Denmark sighting, had many believing CATALINA would be released to the Public Friday. October 4th. Well BOZOS, it didn’t and I noticed how cleverly you’ve all Skirted around the fact that CATALINA DIDN’T Drop Today as you all had previously reported it would. (9-5, MacRumors, MacDailyNews, OSX Daily)
Hi Robert, we never reported that MacOS Catalina would be released on any specific day, and it’d certainly wouldn’t be released before a GM build was available. I can’t speak for the other sites, obviously, but they focus on rumors heavily so it wouldn’t be surprising if they did.
The only Catalina timeline Apple has provided was “fall” followed by “October”, and now with a GM build it suggests it will be sooner than later, though it’s not unusual for another GM seed to come out as well.