“Apple said Monday that it would make its Safari Web browser available for Windows-based PCs, opening a new front in its rivalry with Microsoft,” John Markoff reports for The New York Times.
“In an interview after his presentation, Mr. Jobs said he had no concerns that the new competition might anger Microsoft or lead to retaliation, such as slowing the development of the version of Office for the Macintosh. ‘After all, we are developing for Windows,’ he said,” Markoff reports.
MacDailyNews Take: This most likely indicates that Jobs does have some concerns (he should expect some sort of response from Microsoft); perhaps Jobs is just not that concerned about the severity of whatever retaliation Microsoft can muster?
Markoff continues, “Like many of Apple’s strategic moves, the implication of an Apple browser for Windows was not immediately clear. It is likely that Mr. Jobs is now plotting a broader business strategy that will allow Apple to grow beyond its niche position in the computer market of about a 5 percent share.”
MacDailyNews Take: Yeah, you could say it’s likely that Jobs has a larger plan. Very likely.
Markoff continues, “‘Who knows? Maybe we can grow our Safari share in the future,’ Mr. Jobs said. ‘We’re going to try.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Classic misdirection play by Jobs. Share is nice, but this isn’t primarily about share for Safari. As our own SteveJack wrote earlier today, “Steve Jobs, by releasing Safari to Windows, has laid the foundation for the next major computing platform which will be Web-based, built for Safari, mobile, and Apple’s.”
Markoff continues, “The broader appeal of the browser might have implications for Apple’s iPhone. In his presentation, Mr. Jobs said that the company was encouraging Apple software developers to use modern Internet software standards to make applications compatible with Apple’s iPhone, which will go on sale June 29. The announcement is likely to touch off a frenzy of activity because Mr. Jobs said that applications that are written to Internet standards like AJAX and designed to work with Web browsers would work from the first day the iPhone is available.”
Markoff reports, “By moving software development away from personal computers and cellular phones and toward the Internet, Apple is attempting to persuade its developers that they can achieve new economies of scale while permitting the computer and consumer electronics firm to build more secure devices and computers. ‘There is something very clever going on here with Apple releasing Safari for Windows,’ said Scott Love, president of Aquaminds Software, a Macintosh developer based in Palo Alto, Calif. ‘Don’t ever underestimate S. J.’s motives.'”
More in the full article – highly recommended – here.
nice!!
the more apple apps windows users know, the easier it is for them to switch to mac
Apple thinks and plans so far ahead of Redmond it is scary – all Mofiasoft can do is hope to retaliate somehow. LOSERS !!!!!!!!
@bob
Resistance is futile
don’t ever underestimate S. J.
I would say that Webkit is the more important factor in the long run.
Safari on Windows is craptastic; it’s buggy as hell and uses a metric shi*load of RAM. They should have waited until they at least had feature parity and stability with what’s already out there. Exhibit A on Slashdot:
Apple Safari On Windows Broken On First Day
“David Maynor, infamous for the Apple Wi-Fi hack, has discovered bugs in the Windows version of Safari mere hours after it was released. He notes in the blog that his company does not report vulnerabilities to Apple. His claimed catch for ‘an afternoon of idle futzing’: 4 DoS bugs and 2 remote execution vulnerabilities.”
Separately, within 2 hours Thor Larholm found a URL protocol handler command injection vulnerability that allows remote command execution. “
That’s the impression you want to give Windows users of Mac apps? LOL. From what I’ve read thus far, the killer feature is the Uninstall button.
Safari + .Mac + Google Apps
You have your office suite wherever you are whether on a Mac or a PC.
With VMWare and Parallels the need for a Mac specific version of Office is reduced. I use NeoOffice most of the time and just switch to my virtual PC if I have to have ‘proper’ office.
remember, it is in beta.
If you don’t like , then don’t use it, you BEE-YATCH
Dude, beta. Beta, dude. Now you know one another.
realist…
you fail to relize this is a beta..
f’in tard
Realist, have you even tried it?
Didin’t think so.
I did, and it is pretty damned snappy, and handled all the nasty java/flash/javascript infested sites I threw at it.
Realist not only fails to understand BETA, he seems to think windows users will notice bugs and vulnerabilities on a windows platform – they’ve put up with it from MS for so long why change now?
More MDN fanboy fantasies…
There’s only one reason for Safari on Windows. Its too write web apps for the iPhone because developers aren’t allowed to write real apps for it. Thank you AT&T for crippling the iPhone. The iPhone could have been a revolutionary product but because of AT&T’s greed, it will merely be a rich boy’s toy.
I’ll be waiting for another mobile device with Linux on it and a SDK so I can get a Skype client or an instant messaging client on it.
I have said from day one that the iPhone won’t be as good as Apple can make it because it requires another party (AT&T) and they’ll find a way to screw it up.
Shhh. Don’t tell Redmond, but once Apple get developers writing their apps for the iPhone (running in Safari) those same apps will run in Safari on Windows. It’s the classic trojan horse.
I think Steve Jobs is missing the point. Having web based software and services is a nice thing to have, but basing nearly all third party software for the iphone purely on web applications is pretty crappy. There are so many things you can do with an actual compiled C application in Xcode that won’t be able to be accomplished running in a browser on the iphone. I hope this isn’t going to be the only way to deploy software on the iphone, and I also hope this isn’t a sign of the future of where Apple thinks software is going. Otherwise, I am sure there will be a mass migration away from Apple products and back to Windows or Open Source OSes where native compiled software will still be the central focal point.
john,
Even you can see M$ crumbling right before your eyes and yet, you deny it and lash out at the messenger.
How juvenile, yet typical.
Wake up, john. MDN is dead on target and ahead of everyone else with their Safari for WIndows analysis.
I’m really looking forward to this… a number of websites I use are not compatible with safari, including my bank’s website, the latest version of yahoo mail, etc. … I looking forward to seeing the market share for Safari grow. Apple should’ve done this 2 years ago.
Jeff,
Confirmed: Apple iPhone + JAJAH VoIP:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/12820/
The microtards are out in force on this one, must have hit a nerve with Safari on windows..
The bugs/exploits are to make windows users feel comfortable since it is what they are used to. You can’t expect them to quit being fed crap cold-turkey! Gradually they will get used to a better way, but we don’t want them to scatter by blinding them with the light.
I downloaded and installed Safari on Windows. It crashed about six times in about as many minutes. It’s fast but not stable and I think most Windows users who try it won’t be impressed with Apple’s coding skills.
I hope there is an update soon.
Microsoft’s web-development tools have quirks that complement the quirks in Microsoft’s browser. That locks enterprise users into Microsoft: a partner makes a “solution” for them that only works on IE, so the enterprise standardizes on IE. The problem comes when employees try to access the web application from home–which is the whole point of having it web based. After a while, it becomes apparent that the software is serving Microsoft, not the customer.
The best strategy for Apple is to produce very high quality software that needs little administration and adheres to industry standards without quirks. In other words, software that shuts up, sits down, and does its job. And that appears to be the strategy they are following.
Lovin’ all the apoligists on this board. Beta or not, it is being judged alongside other browsers that kick it to the curb with respect to security (sandboxing, phishing filters, etc.) and features (extensions). Remember all your Zune arguments? Safari is being compared with what’s out there NOW. And Firefox makes this browser look like a junior high CS project. Fits right in alongside Quicktime, which is another disaster on Windows. Apple can’t even stream a postage stamp video without it looking like a RealPlayer demo. You may now go back to why crashing and security don’t matter, unless it’s Microsoft of course.
Of course the rats will try and take Safari on Windows down, after all they have much to lose. Most people see past their silly antics.
All these beta issues can be fixed in no time. What users will like is the much nicer rendering, and the speed. Makes Explorer look ugly and slow.
So what’s new we might ask.
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