Just as it did last year with Yosemite, Apple is again launching a public beta for its latest version of OS X. OS X El Capitan was formally announced at WWDC in June, and you'll be able to try it out starting today at around 2PM ET. The update includes numerous performance enhancements along with new features like smarter multitasking, split-view for full-screen apps, pinned tabs in Safari, public transit in Maps, and more.

Read next: The El Capitan review.

You can install the first public beta (developers have been testing the software since WWDC) by registering at Apple's beta software program website — once it returns. As always, it's advisable to make a full backup of your current OS X system before giving Apple's latest major update a try — and you should probably think twice about using it on your primary Mac at this stage. We've still got quite a bit of room between now and El Capitan's release this fall.

Read our OS X El Capitan preview for more