Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 4, Public Beta Coming Later This Month - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 4, Public Beta Coming Later This Month

Alongside iOS 8 beta 4, Apple today released a new version of OS X Yosemite to developers, two weeks after releasing the third Developer Preview and over a month and a half after introducing the new operating system at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

The update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store or through the Mac Developer Center. Apple has also released iTunes 12.0, Yosemite Recovery Update 1.0, OS X Server 4.0 Developer Preview, and Apple Configurator 1.7 beta. iTunes 12 includes an "elegant new design" and introduces support for Family Sharing, a feature first announced during WWDC. The update also includes improved playlists and a redesigned Info Window.

yosemitebeta
OS X Yosemite brings a flatter, more modern look to OS X, with an emphasis on translucency and redesigned dock, windows, and more. It also includes a multitude of new features, such as improved integration with iOS 8 through Continuity, a new "Today" view in Notification Center that offers integration with third-party apps, a retooled Spotlight search with new data sources, and several new features for apps like Mail, Safari, and Messages.

Yosemite is currently only available to developers, but Apple plans to offer a beta version of the software to Mac users at some point during the summer, possibly as early as this month. A source that spoke to 9to5Mac suggests the beta is coming in late July, though it could be pushed back until early August if Yosemite is not ready in time.

New Features:

iTunes 12 - The newest Yosemite beta includes a revamped version of iTunes with a simple, streamlined design and support for Family Sharing.

itunes12
iTunes 12 icon - The icon for iTunes has also changed with the new iTunes 12 beta.

itunesicon
Calculator - The Calculator app in OS X Yosemite has been redesigned.

calculatorapp
Dark Mode Settings - Dark Mode settings have been tweaked slightly and there's a new checkbox to turn the feature on and off for the dock and menu bar.

Related Forum: OS X Yosemite

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Sunday August 16, 2026 8:24 pm PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. As usual, the event is expected to take place in the first half of September. Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the...
apple camera airpods

Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action

Monday August 17, 2026 6:21 pm PDT by
Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that appear to be nearly ready to launch, based on a video MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate. In a short demo, a man holds a book up so the camera in the AirPods can see the title. "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text. Here ...
imac video apple feature

September 1 to Mark the End of an Era at Apple

Tuesday August 18, 2026 9:14 am PDT by
Apple in April announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO at the end of this month, after 15 years of leading the company. Cook has been Apple's CEO since 2011 Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist...

Top Rated Comments

benthewraith Avatar
158 months ago
Here's just a little of the "elegant new design"

That's pretty hideous.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
158 months ago
What's your first impression on iTunes 12 ? The current iTunes is pretty slow so I was hoping 12 isn't. Even though it's a beta version it might be better/faster.

I doubt it. It looks like the same old iTunes to me, just with a new skin.

iTunes needs a Pages/Keynote/Numbers-style "start from scratch." Frankly, iTunes needs it more than iWork needed it.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
158 months ago
Yosemite is gorgeous. I love where Apple is going with this...very nice ;)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pacmania1982 Avatar
158 months ago
'Elegant new design'...its BLOODY AWFUL looking!

And before you go on, yes I know its beta. I do like the look of Yosemite but yuck!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
158 months ago
Pretty disappointed we are not seeing the Public Beta today, I thought it was about the right time.
No, it's not the right time.

Public betas have to be released when the product is in its final state and there's no possibility that major bugs tarnish the reputation of the company. Apple is known for their quality so much that each time I tell someone that my iOS 8 beta has a bug and cannot do this and that, people go like "that's the problem with Apple" and I can't make them understand that this is a private beta. Imagine a public...

--

Any word on Xcode 6 DP4 ? I just lost my Developer membership 6 days ago, which means I can install Yosemite DP4 and iOS 8 Seed 4 legitimately through Software Updates, but I got no chance about Xcode.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
158 months ago
I have to laugh when people ask for impressions on something that was just released within the half hour. How can someone provide a decent impression on something that fast?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)