Pinderkent

It has been over a week now since Apple released a public beta of their Safari 4 Web browser. During this time, much has been written regarding this preview of what will likely become a very widely used Web browser. This article aims to summarize some of this discussion.

Reviews and First Impressions

• Safari 4 Beta Released: Focuses on the Mac OS X version, giving a good synopsis of the major changes and new features. Sees the speed gains as the most impressive improvement.
• Safari 4 Beta is Worth a Look: Points out the ideas drawn from Google Chrome. Doesn't seem overwhelmed by the browser, but doesn't sound displeased, either.
• Safari 4 First Impressions: Also points out the inspiration drawn from Chrome and Opera. Mentions how the Windows version feels and behaves more like a Windows app, but also very supportive of the UI updates in the Mac OS X version.
• Safari 4 a big step up, but not as far as rivals: Not really a negative review, but suggests that while improvements have been made, there's nothing really exceptional about Safari relative to Firefox, Opera and Chrome. Does seem to support the UI changes.
• Safari 4 Beta - Nice and Speedy: A generally positive review, with focus on the better performance, the UI updates, and Top Sites.
• Safari 4: A positive review with emphasis on Top Sites, the new tab placement, the other UI updates, and the performance improvements. Includes video commentary.
• Safari 4 Beta: UI Disaster: Points out the problems with Safari's tab placement, with comparisons to Chrome. Suggests that he won't use Safari on his Mac if the tabs remain where they are.
• Defending Safari 4 tabs: Does acknowledge the problems with Safari 4 Beta's tab placement, but hopes that "this is the first experiment to bringing system-provided tabs to applications."
• Safari 4: First Impressions: Describes Safari 4 Beta as a "big step forward." Also points out the heavy influence of Chrome on Safari 4, but suggests that it's more advanced than Chrome when it comes to, for example, bookmark management.
• Safari 4 Beta: Impressed by the speed of Safari, but thinks he will remain a Firefox user.
• Safari 4 UI breakdown: A review of the Safari 4 public beta that focuses almost entirely on the various UI changes. Mentions some of the less-obvious UI updates and changes that other reviews may have missed or glossed over.
• Safari 4 Review: A general review of the new and updated functionality, but also mentions bugs and problems relating to Mail.app and 1Password.
• Safari 4 Beta: the best browser for Windows?: A review by a Windows user who is quite impressed with the Safari 4 beta, including Top Sites. Noted some bugs, but mentions that it "shows a lot of promise and once it is ready, I will likely make it my primary browser on my Windows machine."
• First Look: Safari 4 Beta: A relatively detailed summary of the changes and new features of this beta. Generally impressed with the browser.
• First impressions: Apple Safari 4 beta: A review that focuses on the Windows version. Includes a number of screenshots, including visual comparisons with Chrome and Firefox. Suggests that Safari 4 "bridges the gap between Firefox and Google Chrome."
• Safari 4 Beta - First Look: A detailed review of Safari 4 Beta, including numerous screenshots of both the Windows and Mac OS X version. After using it, however, the author says that "Firefox is still my browser of choice."
• Safari 4: Thoughts and Comparisons: Emphasis on the Windows version, with a generally negative opinion of the UI changes on Windows at first. Was impressed with the speed improvements.
• Safari 4 wows web with speed: Emphasis on the speed improvements, but also mentions Top Sites and the tab placement changes.
• Safari 4: Webkit gets dressed up: The author of the review says that his "biggest pet peeves with Safari have been addressed with this release." However, also mentions that it's "just a pretty toy to play with."
• Headed towards the finish line, Safari 4 takes the lead!: Says that Safari 4 Beta is "easily the best browser for the Mac." Is impressed with the functionality that appeals to Web developers.
• Safari 4 Public Beta first impressions: Some comparisons between the Mac OS X and Windows versions, with it being suggested that the Windows version is slower.
• Safari 4 First Thoughts: Happy about the JavaScript performance gains and location bar improvements. Describes the Top Sites UI as feeling "overly glitzy." Somewhat conflicted about Cover Flow.
• Safari 4 beta, a closer look: One of the more detailed reviews. Pleased with the speed improvements, and unconcerned about the new tab bar placement. Warns about possible Mail.app problems.
• Reader Reports: Safari 4: Many short reviews and summaries from a number of users.
• Safari 4 Review: Sees putting the tabs at the top of the window as a good idea. Describes Cover Flow as "useless".
• Safari 4 Beta's new tabs are particularly bad on Windows.: My own review, pointing out the problems I noticed with the new tab placement on Windows.

Benchmarks, Multi-browser Comparisons and Speed Tests

• Safari 4 - This is one fast browser!: A very positive review of the Safari 4 beta. Focuses on the similarity to Chrome, and points out the new features, with much emphasis on its performance. Includes performance comparisons against the other mainstream browsers.
• Safari 4 benchmarked: 42x faster than IE 7, 3.5x faster than Firefox 3: Includes some benchmarks of the Windows and Mac OS X versions of Safari against the other popular browsers. Suggests that the beta of Safari 4 is "the fastest browser on the planet."
• Browser Speed Tests: How Safari 4 Stacks Up: Speed and memory usage benchmarks against other popular browsers.
• Hype Check: Safari 4 can't beat Google Chrome: Includes some benchmarks that suggest that Safari 4 Beta is not as fast as Chrome 2.
• Safari 4 Beta looking good but...: Likes the Top Sites functionality, but thinks the tab-related updates could use some changes.

Tips, Tricks, and HOWTOs

• Safari 4 Hidden Preferences: Points out some of the Safari 4 configuration options, and what changing them will do.
• Foxmarks for Safari 4 Beta: Discusses the compatibility of Foxmarks with the beta.
• Give Safari 4 the GUI It Deserves: Provides instruction regarding how to make changes to the appearance of the UI of Safari 4.
• How to run Safari 4 beta and Safari 3 on the same mac: As the title indicates, this describes the steps necessary to run both Safari 3 and Safari 4 on the same system.
• 14 Tips for Safari 4 Beta: As the title of the article says, it gives 14 tips regarding Safari 4 Beta. Points out potential problems with Xcode, GrowlMail and various plugins.
• Want to enable 1password in the Safari 4 Beta? Here's how.: Describes the steps necessary to enable 1Password with Safari 4 Beta.
• A collection of additional Safari 4 Beta hidden settings: Another list of the adjustable preferences for Safari 4 Beta.

In general, people seem quite impressed with Safari 4 Beta. Almost everyone noticed the significant speed improvements it brought. A number of the reviewers mentioned how obvious it is that Safari 4 has been influenced by Google's Chrome. With respect to the new tab placement, Mac OS X users seem to be more accepting, while Windows users tend to have mixed feelings, or be against it completely. Overall, my impression is that it won't be as revolutionary of a browser as some people maybe think it should be, but it will likely be a browser that many people are pleased with, and an increased market share does seem likely.