Apple today introduced Safari 3.1, the world’s fastest web browser for Mac and Windows PCs. Safari loads web pages 1.9 times faster than IE 7 and 1.7 times faster than Firefox 2. Safari also runs JavaScript up to six times faster than other browsers, and is the first browser to support the latest innovative web standards needed to deliver the next generation of highly interactive Web 2.0 experiences.
Performance measured in seconds. Testing conducted by Apple in March 2008 on a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo-based iMac system running Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.2, configured with 1GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon HD 2600 with 256MB of VRAM. HTML and JavaScript benchmarks based on VeriTest’s iBench Version 5.0 using default settings. Testing conducted with a beta version of Safari; all other browsers were shipping versions. Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection, and other factors.
“Safari 3.1 for Mac and Windows is blazingly fast, easy to use and features an elegant user interface,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in the press release. “And best of all, Safari supports the latest audio, video and animation standards for an industry-leading Web 2.0 experience.”
The incredible performance of Safari, combined with its elegant user interface, lets users spend more time surfing the web and less time waiting for pages to load. Safari features an intuitive browsing experience with drag-and-drop bookmarks, easy-to-organize tabs, an integrated Find that shows the number of matches in a page and a built-in RSS reader to quickly scan the latest news and information.
Safari 3.1 is the first browser to support the new video and audio tags in HTML 5 and the first to support CSS Animations. Safari also supports CSS Web Fonts, giving designers limitless choices of fonts to create stunning new web sites.
Safari 3.1 is available immediately as a free download for both Mac OS X and Windows users. Safari software updates are delivered seamlessly through Apple’s Software Update application, which automatically checks for updates.
Safari 3.1 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X Leopard or Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4.11, a minimum of 256MB of memory and is designed to run on any Intel-based Mac or a Mac with a PowerPC G5, G4 or G3 processor and built-in FireWire. Safari 3.1 for Windows requires Windows XP or Windows Vista, a minimum of 256MB of memory and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor.
Apple’s new Safari 3.1 is available immediately as a free download for both Mac OS X and Windows here.
[UPDATE: 10:35am EDT: Updated graphic with latest benchmarks from Apple]
yeah! finally time to stop using webkit!
hope it runs better than the build i have been using, which, for the record, has been running great.
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sweeeeeeeeet!
Anyone else notice the time on the article is in the future?
“Tuesday, March 18, 2008 – 09:38 AM EDT”
snaaaaaaaaappy!
@think
Now thats fast!
Woot!
Just my $0.02
Gee, it even makes THIS page feel ALMOST snappy.
I’ve been running the Safari WebKit beta for the past few weeks and it’s been impressive. Glad to see the full-tilt version finally out.
And, YES, it IS snappier!
My crocodile feels snappier!
I really hope this fixes all these random crashes and spinning beachballs I get while using Safari. The funny thing about the crashes is that about half the time I get a message saying that Flash caused Safari to crash even when I wasn’t on a page that had Flash.
Very cool! lets see how flash performs too.
Snapback seems snappier….
3.1 seems to open MDN quicker. Hopefully it will cure the problem my MPB has with random “no wireless connectivity” that I’ve experienced since Safari 3 came out with 10.4.11. The folks at the Genius Bar couldn’t fix it.
Much better response from Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor Attachment Protein receptors.
How convenient. I was surfing with 3.0.4 just now and it unexpectedly shutdown. When I relaunched, it opened to my homepage, which is MDN, and the first thing I see is that 3.1 has been released. Gee, usually I just get a popup telling me new updates are available.
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What’s the version of Safari on the iPhone and iPod touch?
I couldn’t find it.
@ shen:
Right on! I have been using Webkit for months now. I hope Safari 3.1 can indeed be my default browser… again.
WEBFONTS WEBFONTS WEBFONTS! YAY!
But, does it pass Acid3? (Is Acid3 finalized yet?)
I was wondering why my commute was so much faster this morning!
Jadis: sorry to hear that! i only have one crash issue with safari. when i try to quit, it crashes. bizarre.
Just downloaded.
VERY fast.
APPL up $3 already.
Very snappy stock indeed.
JadisOne: I really hope this fixes all these random crashes and spinning beachballs I get while using Safari. The funny thing about the crashes is that about half the time I get a message saying that Flash caused Safari to crash even when I wasn’t on a page that had Flash.
Many ad banners use flash, so most of the time you would not realize that you’re actually using it.
My Slim Jims are snappier.
Even my dog is snappier!
Even MDN is snappier!
Can’t get it to install. Anyone else have this problem?