May address Thunderbolt 'static noise' issue

Apple developers have started receiving a beta of OS X 10.8.1, the first update to Mountain Lion since its release on July 25. While the release note accompanying the update lists no known issues, Apple does ask developers to focus testing on several areas -- including Wi-Fi and audio when connected to an Apple Thunderbolt Display, a noise issue tested extensively by MacNN last month. The new build is number 12B13 and is 38.5MB in size.

In addition to the Thunderbolt static noise testing, the release note asks for testers to focus on Active Directory integration and Microsoft Exchange support in Mail, USB, SMB, and PAC proxies in Safari. Mountain Lion has seen swift adoption by the Mac base, with more than three million downloads in just the first four days of availability, a record for the company. For most users, the upgrade has been remarkably problem-free apart from reports of noticeable, accelerated battery drain from owners of Retina display MacBook Pros.

The latest update still does not include Facebook integration, a feature that is promised for the fall but has not begun developer testing so far. As is normal with pre-release developer software, users are cautioned that they will not be able to revert their system back to a previous version after updating, and that unforeseen bugs may require completely erasing the disk to recover. Beta releases are not recommended for installation on production Macs.

The update is available through Apple's Developer Connection web site.

by MacNN Staff