MacOS Sequoia 15 Beta 1 Available to Download Now
Apple has rolled out the first beta version of MacOS Sequoia 15 to users enrolled in the developer beta testing program for Macintosh system software.
MacOS Sequoia 15 introduces a variety of new features and capabilities for the Mac, including iPhone Mirroring, Apple Intelligence AI features, easy window tiling, a dedicated Passwords app, improvements to Safari and Photos, and much more. The first beta version of MacOS Sequoia includes some of these features already, while others are not yet available.
MacOS Sequoia 15 Beta Available for Registered Developers
If your Apple ID is registered as an Apple Developer, which anyone can register to become one for free at the developer.apple.com portal by agreeing to the developer terms, you can download MacOS Sequoia 15 beta 1 right now.
Developer beta versions are particularly buggy and rough, and this is not recommended for casual users, or primary Mac hardware. If you’re not an advanced user, it would be better to experiment with Sequoia beta in a virtual machine, or at least waiting until the Sequoia public beta arrives in July.
Can your Mac run MacOS Sequoia beta?
The following Mac hardware is compatible with MacOS Seqouia: MacBook Pro 2018 and later, MacBook Air 2020 and later, Mac Studio 2022 and later, iMac Pro 2017 and later, Mac mini 2018 and later, Mac Pro 2019 and later, and iMac 2019 and later. This list comes directly from Apple.
How to Download MacOS Sequoia 15 Beta 1
It is absolutely essential that you backup the Mac with Time Machine before installing beta system software, let alone any software update. Do so before proceeding.
- Go to the Apple menu and choose “System Settings”
- Choose “General”
- Select “Software Update”
- Click on the (i) next to “Beta Updates” and select “MacOS Sequoia Developer Beta” from the list of available beta updates (this will not be available if you have not registered your Apple ID as an Apple Developer)
- Click to “Upgrade Now” for MacOS Sequoia 15 beta to download and install the beta version
The Mac will restart to finish installation of MacOS Sequoia beta.
Future beta updates will arrive from the Software Update settings panel as usual.
macOS Sequoia 15 Installer Direct Download Link & IPSW File
You can also download the Sequoia beta package installer directly from Apple, as well as a Sequoia beta IPSW file from Apple. The following direct download links point to Apple CDN servers for those files:
Package installers are useful for updating multiple Macs, an offline Mac, creating a USB boot disk, and installing/upgrading virtual machines.
Mac IPSW firmware files can be used to restore an Apple Silicon Mac, or easily setup a virtual machine for MacOS Sequoia in apps like UTM, Parallels, VMWare, VirtualBuddy, and more.
Separately, registered developers can also download iOS 18 beta 1 and iPadOS 18 beta 1 now as well, along with the first beta of tvOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2.
I have to agree, Mac’s are indeed a legacy platform for Apple. Its not what Apple see’s as a viable future and Mac sales have proven that. I think moving to Apple silicon was the right move for Mac’s. But it mostly just extended its useful relevance for Apple. The proof of the demise of Mac’s was Apple’s decision to put the M4 in a iPad Pro before any Mac model. I guess with Mac sales dwindling by a significant amount Apple is just simply adjusting for where they think growth is. Or at least where they want growth to be, because I have not seen iPad sales doing that well either.
I agree with you regarding the high costs of Macs. The transition to ARM processors was a significant move, but it seems that sales haven’t met expectations. Even the once-desirable iPads appear to have lost their appeal. And as for the 13-inch model, it seems to be a complete failure. It’s fascinating to observe how the tech industry evolves over time! 🖥️💡
I think apple has this new 2024 hand-off/continuity feature ass-backwards as I would rather use a device like an iPad or a phone to control or navigate my Mac mini or MacBook Air instead of the computer simple because the devices are mobile were the mini or MacBook usually stays put.
the rest of the features are mundane and boring.
no matter what the over-hyped Cupertino minions state.
Seriously. Despite what Apple has been saying for years, they have abandoned the desktop in favor of the iPad, iPhone, Apple watch combo. I haven’t looked forward to an OSX / MacOS relase for a number of years.