Apple Expands Testing of OS X Mountain Lion to Select Retail Store Staff

With OS X Mountain Lion set to launch to the public sometime next month, 9to5Mac reports that Apple has asked select members of its retail store staff to begin testing the software.

In an e-mail to Apple Store Genius Bar members and Creatives, Apple has provided access to its OS X Mountain Lion AppleSeed testing program…

This testing is to be done on personal Macs belonging to employees, and is not standardized in-store OS X Mountain Lion training.

Not only will the program provide additional testers for Apple as it expands beyond registered Mac developers, but it will also give retail store staff a head start on gaining familiarity with the forthcoming operating system before formal training begins.

mountain lion seeding invite
Apple is almost certainly wrapping up work on OS X Mountain Lion, if it hasn't completed it already, with the company issuing a "near-final" build to developers at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. With OS X Mountain Lion being a Mac App Store exclusive, Apple can continue to work on the operating system until relatively close to the launch date given that it does not need to build in time for pressing millions of DVDs, but the company will want some time to ensure that the golden master build is behaving properly before it is released to the public.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

WSJ: Apple Weighing Price Hikes for iPhone 17 Lineup Without Blaming Tariffs

Monday May 12, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
Apple is considering raising prices for its upcoming iPhone 17 models set to release this fall, according to people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal. The company reportedly aims to pair the potential price hikes with new features and design changes to justify the increased cost to consumers, rather than attributing them to U.S. tariffs on goods from China. The...
tvOS 18 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 18.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.5, the latest version of the tvOS operating system. tvOS 18.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.5, the fifth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched last September. macOS Sequoia 15.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.4. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia 15.5‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Expected This Week With These New Features

Monday May 12, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple is expected to release iOS 18.5 to the general public this week. While the software update is relatively minor, it still includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.5. Pride Wallpaper Apple recently announced its 2025 Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch band, watch face,...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

Report: Apple Preparing to Launch Mind-Control Support for iPhones

Tuesday May 13, 2025 6:18 am PDT by
Apple is planning to allow users to natively control iPhones, iPads, and other devices using brain signals later this year, The Wall Street Journal reports. The initiative involves a partnership with Synchron, a neurotechnology startup that produces an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) device called the Stentrode. The Stentrode enables users with severe motor impairments, such as...

Top Rated Comments

rafaltrus Avatar
168 months ago
So regular employees now serve as beta testers as well?
Developers focus on debugging, noticing performance issues and their causes, etc.
"Regular" users, such as Apple Store employees, will look at the Mac OS X and report daily-usage bugs and inconveniences.

I think it's pretty cool.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mogzieee Avatar
168 months ago
I really hope there is one Apple employee out there who can feedback the dual screening issue with fullscreen apps that is currently such a bane in Lion. I seriously hope there's a fix to this in Mountain Lion! Pleeeeease?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ckelley Avatar
168 months ago
I am running developer preview 4 with the latest update that came out earlier this week. What is the issue you are having so I can see if it still exists?
I think his issue is this: Let's say you have multiple monitors, say a 27" display and a 17" MacBook Display... you're doing work on the 27" but want to use the full-screen feature of an app on the 17" display. You click the icon in the upper-right to make it full screen and it turns your 27" display into a huge screen of linen!

If you could full-screen apps on one display and still allow you to have access to working on the other display, that would be tremendous, but as of now (Lion), you can't.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
168 months ago
I really hope there is one Apple employee out there who can feedback the dual screening issue with fullscreen apps that is currently such a bane in Lion. I seriously hope there's a fix to this in Mountain Lion! Pleeeeease?

I am running developer preview 4 with the latest update that came out earlier this week. What is the issue you are having so I can see if it still exists?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newagemac Avatar
168 months ago


With OS X Mountain Lion being a Mac App Store exclusive, Apple can continue to work on the operating system until relatively close to the launch date given that it does not need to build in time for pressing millions of DVDs

The ability to fix last minute bugs and shorter lead times. Another nice benefit of digital delivery systems like the Mac App Store. :)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RoelJuun Avatar
168 months ago
What a great perk!

You can buy that perk for $100. Just sign up for the developer program.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)