Apple Searching for Retail Employees to Test Upcoming Photos App for OS X

Apple is actively looking for retail employees that are "passionate photography enthusiasts" to test the upcoming Photos app for OS X, reports 9to5Mac.

newphotos

We are seeking a technical and passionate photography enthusiast to join our Quality Assurance team working on Photos for OS X. You will be part of a fast moving team of specialists tasked with delivering the next generation of photography tools for Apple.

Photos for OS X was briefly introduced at WWDC 2014, as Apple will launch the software early next year. It was also reported last month that the new Photos app will be replacing Apple's existing iPhoto and Aperture programs. Apple revealed that Photos would feature a number of professional-grade features, including image search, editing, effects, and support for third-party extensions.

Apple has invited retail employees to try pre-release software for the past few years. Last year, the company offered beta access to OS X Mavericks and iWork for iCloud last year, which followed access to OS X Mountain Lion in 2012.

Popular Stories

m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...

Top Rated Comments

alvindarkness Avatar
148 months ago
Why not search for a few photography professionals to test the app and provide feedback as well. No offense to the enthusiasts that may work at Apple retail stores.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iRalph Avatar
148 months ago
Really looking forward to the Photos app on OS X.. I never saw much sense into having iPhoto on iOS without it having a sync functionality with the OS X version.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CmdrLaForge Avatar
148 months ago
While Aperture is still under the highest grossing apps on the AppStore... :(
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msandersen Avatar
148 months ago
Why not search for a few photography professionals to test the app and provide feedback as well. No offense to the enthusiasts that may work at Apple retail stores.
What makes you think they aren't? They'd be under a non-disclosure agreement, so we won't know til it is released and they start blogging about it or post reviews. Very early days, it wouldn't be feature-complete, and if history is a guide, version 1.0 won't be either, but the features that are ready should work well. Even so, I'll watch keenly and can't wait to play with it, but will wait switching until I read actual user reports of any issues with existing iPhoto/Aperture libraries, inc all existing edits and books/slideshows.

Maybe this is the writing on the wall. Apple throws professionals under the truck. The type of person Apple are targeting are enthusiasts who are not advanced enough to be a paid-Pro, but the sort of person who likes photography but has a different day job. That tells you where the app is headed, i.e. not a replacement for Aperture.
A bit harsh without knowing what they're planning; all we have is a screenshot, a demo of the iOS version, WWDC videos of PhotoKit, and a statement that the existing Aperture libraries will import complete. The screenshot shows most of the sliders we have in Aperture now, what it doesn't show is the library management, book and slideshows, but then it is just one screenshot. The WWDC workshop video shows Apple takes photography very seriously, a lot of the power of Aperture will instead be in PhotoKit and CoreImage including lens profiles, advanced noise reduction, and 3rd party non-destructive editing plugging straight into the system Raw converter. Not only Photos, but 3rd party apps can take advantage of it, and extend Photos.app's capabilities via plugins that won't require a round trip into another format and another program, but done internally and non-destructively, all synced across devices like iPads. If they can deliver on a fraction of this for Version 1.0, I don't care if they call it Pro or Prosumer.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
katewes Avatar
148 months ago
Why not search for a few photography professionals to test the app and provide feedback as well. No offense to the enthusiasts that may work at Apple retail stores.

Maybe this is the writing on the wall. Apple throws professionals under the truck. The type of person Apple are targeting are enthusiasts who are not advanced enough to be a paid-Pro, but the sort of person who likes photography but has a different day job. That tells you where the app is headed, i.e. not a replacement for Aperture.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cambox Avatar
148 months ago
All answers been clarified. They are looking for enthusiasts. Not quite what I bought a Mac for Apple. Sad
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)