X World 2026
25-26 AUGUST • NAARM | MELBOURNE
Marcus Ransom
Testing Testing... Is this thing on?
Every year in June, Apple moves the cheese and we all need to rapidly prepare ourselves for when the betas metamorphosise into production releases. The challenge for Client Platform Engineers is very different ot the way that developers or consumers approach beta season. We don't just need to test the new capabilities of the operating system, we need to rapidly understand the new management frameworks, and often most importantly - how it intergates with all the other tools we have in our environment. Lets look at all the different tools we have at our disposal, what we should be testing against, and how we can help each other to be ready for when Septober comes.
About the presenter
Marcus Ransom has been managing Macs across Education and Enterprise for over two decades. He is always curious to understand where we are now, what is coming next, and how this can help people overcome challenges and get the most out of their Apple technology. In addition to being a Senior Sales Engineer at Jamf, Marcus is also one of the hosts of the Mac Admins Podcast.
Interview
We asked Marcus a few questions about where Apple's heading and what he's working on.
What are you most excited about in Apple's upcoming OS releases?
I’m excited about the new declarative application allow/block controls and how these can be used to deliver better workflows in situations where you need to restrict what is running on a device.
Is there new hardware you're hoping Apple ships?
I am hoping for a larger iMac. Our family iMac is the last of the intel iMacs and I’d love the simplicity and beauty of the current iMacs but with that gorgeous 5k 27” display.
The rise of AI: excited, scared, intrigued, or something else?
All of the above?
What's the best thing you've built that nobody's heard of?
I built a macOS security tool called “haltr". It’s a launchdaemon that just shuts the Mac down. The most secure Mac is a Mac that is not able to be used.
What do you wish you'd known when you started building admin tools for Apple platforms?
How to build admin tools for Apple platforms...
Finish this sentence: "You should come to my talk if…”
...you currently wait for the .1 or .2 release before testing a new version of macOS
