“On June 11, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs stepped up his assault on [Microsoft]. In a speech before Apple developers, Jobs, clad in his traditional uniform of black turtleneck and jeans, announced new versions of Apple’s Safari Web browser for the ubiquitous Windows operating system. That gives PC users a no-risk way to sample Apple software (Safari is free), and possibly an incentive to switch to a Mac computer or buy an iPhone. And to make sure there are enough programs for interested buyers, Jobs also offered Safari’s underlying Web technologies to outside software developers so they could write programs for Apple products, including the iPhone, the company’s latest potential blockbuster product that goes on sale June 29,” Aaron Ricadela writes for BusinessWeek.
“Taken together, the moves could sway more companies to enter Apple’s orbit and potentially reignite a browser war that’s been dormant for several years,” Ricadela writes.
The battle isn’t just about browser market share. Windows users already have downloaded Apple’s iTunes music software more than 500 million times, according to Jobs. A fast-running Windows version of Safari could give Windows users a better taste of the company’s design aesthetic and technical chops, helping to reinvigorate sales of Apple computers,” Ricadela writes.
“Promoting Safari as the way for programmers to develop for the iPhone, and for Mac and Windows users to explore the Internet, could help Apple compete in a computer industry in which software is increasingly distributed online,” Ricadela writes. “Adam Gross, vice-president of developer marketing at Salesforce, says the software maker plans to create an iPhone version of the company’s lead management software for sales reps. Apple’s approach could make it simpler to extend the software for the iPhone compared with other mobile devices. ‘It’s going to be a lot easier to create apps for the iPhone than for other mobile platforms,’ says Gross.”
Ricadela writes, “If [Apple’s] plan gains adherents, it could intensify competition for Web browsers. And that could give Jobs yet another weapon to use against Microsoft, as both companies try to extend their influence beyond the desktop.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]