OSX Yosemite Beta: Everything You Need To Know To Get Apple's Latest OS

Apple unveiled its next computer operating system for Mac computers, OSX Yosemite, on Monday to a hushed crowd. Yosemite is packed with features like Continuity, Mail Drop, iCloud Drive and many others. If you want early access to the latest OS from Apple, all you have to do is sign up for the beta program.

You can sign up for access here. Apple is only giving access to the first million who sign up, so getting the beta isn’t guaranteed. You'll need to use your Apple ID and sign a confidentiality agreement not to share any information before the official fall release, but other than that, the process is pretty simple.

Yosemite will be compatible with most Mac models made since 2008. Basically, any Mac that can handle OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or OS X 10.9 Mavericks can also handle Yosemite. However, not every new feature in Yosemite will work on all Macs that run it, according to BGR. Here is the full list of Yosemite-compatible Macs:

• iMac (Mid-2007 or later)
• MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later)
• MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
• Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)
• Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
• Xserve (Early 2009)

You'll also need at least 2GB RAM (4GB RAM or more is recommended), 8GB of available storage, and OS X 10.6.8 or newer already running on your Mac.

Remember, this is a beta program, so you probably don’t want to install the OS as your main operating system. Instead, partition your drive to create about 30GB to 40GB of hard drive space via boot camp or another dual boot process. If that is gobbledygook to you, I recommend waiting for the official release from Apple, which will arrive in the fall.

If you want to go ahead and do it anyway, here is a great step-by-step guide to installing OSX Yosemite.