Wiliam Staff Team : Staff Tags : Technology Online Trends Programming Web 2.0
22Jun2007

Apple`s Safari 3 Browser for PC - First Impressions

Wiliam Staff Team : Staff Tags : Technology Online Trends Programming Web 2.0

Everyone that knows me, knows that I'm a loyal Apple fan. I have been since I got my first Apple Mac LCII. So, when I heard that Apple were releasing Safari on the PC, I was straight in there and installing it - which was hassle free.

Why was I so keen? Well, having used it quite extensively on the mac, I was keen to see if it could take on the current heavyweights, Firefox and Internet Explorer. Now, obviously still being a beta release I was expecting a few kinks in it, but the only ones I've found so far are in how it renders some pages such as Google Maps - on the PC version only, which highlights that there's still some fixes being put in place between the platforms.

Then, starting to browse sites, it's noticeable faster in rendering sites. I mean really noticeable, in-particular Web 2.0 Websites, such as the Wiliam site. The lag we'd grown to expect from Internet Explorer and Firefox just wasn't there.

Using Safari has always been a pleasure on the mac as it lacks the clutter that the other browsers have inherited over the years. All the buttons are there, and obvious, but you don't loose half the browser's window to the hundreds of bars present in the other browsers.

One feature I really like the implementation of is the in-page search functionality. I know this has been done by Firefox, and through the Inline Search plugin for Internet Explorer, but the way Apple's done it is just that little bit better and makes it so obvious what you're looking at.

But, there are downsides to the browser. One thing I've never been a fan of - even on the mac - is how Safari manages adds bookmarks. I can see the advantages to it, but in other ways, I just find the way you have to first create a new folder, then save the link is one click to many. I'm also not a fan of the maximise/minisise and close buttons in the PC version - but this affects other Apple programs such as iTunes on the PC.

Overall, I'm keen to see how this browser does in the long run. I believe it's key to the development of tools for the Apple iPhone. And since it was launched, Wiliam's website is reporting that there's already 0.5% of users using this beta browser. A small percentage, but for something that's been out for a week that's a pretty impressive figure!

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