Apple releases data on the launch of the new version of its browser, Safari 4: 11 million downloads were reportedly made in just three days.
Highly praised by the Acid 3 test, Safari 4 appears to have been well-received by both Mac users and those tired of Microsoft’s offerings, who, according to distributed statistics, number as many as 6 million. The new browser was offered via Apple Software Update: this allowed new users to choose Safari 4, while existing users received an update to the previous edition. This latter approach certainly contributed to a substantial increase in download numbers.
Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, commented on this initial milestone for Safari 4: “Safari 4 has been incredibly successful on both Mac and Windows systems. Safari users appreciate its incredible speed and innovative features like Top Sites, Full History Search, and Cover Flow“.
Top Sites is indeed the first novelty that catches the eye: it is a feature that allows you to preview favorite pages, thus providing a quicker visual impact.
Full History Search is the function that allows for quick searches among previously visited sites; regarding Cover Flow, users can view sites saved in “bookmarks” through a three-dimensional graphical interface.
Safari 4 is equipped with the Nitro engine, which can execute JavaScript up to 4.5 times faster than Safari 3.
From a purely graphical standpoint, Apple’s new browser seems to have inherited some details from Chrome, but technically, Safari 4 appears to have made a significant leap forward, managing to address clickjacking vulnerabilities and about fifty other flaws.
This initial assessment is clearly positive, although Firefox’s historical records remain unparalleled; however, Safari firmly holds the third position in the browser market.
Be the first to comment