June 15, 2007 10:00 AM PDT
Week in review: Apple invites Windows users to Safari
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The company is inviting Windows users to sample its Safari Web browser and urging third-party developers to try their hand at the iPhone. A beta version of Safari for Windows is available now, CEO Steve Jobs announced during his keynote speech at the company's 2007 Worldwide Developers Conference. Safari will also allow Web developers to create applications for the iPhone using common Web development standards that can interact with the rest of the applications that will ship with the iPhone.
Jobs previewed several features that will be shipped with Leopard, the next version of Mac OS X, which is scheduled for launch in October and will be priced at $129. One new feature is called Stacks, which lets Mac OS X users see the files inside a folder in the dock, the row of application icons usually found at the bottom of the desktop screen, making it easier to find files without having to open a lot of application windows.
Jobs also showed off a new version of Finder that uses its Cover Flow technology to enable Mac users to browse for files on their computers using an interface similar to the one used in iTunes for scrolling through songs or movies.
While the Mac community had been awaiting more news on Leopard, the Safari news was unexpected; the software became available Monday on Apple's Web site for Windows users as a free beta version. Jobs reckons that allowing Windows users to download the browser will help boost market share the same way that making iTunes available for Windows users helped that application.
The new version, Safari 3, is also the key to allowing application developers to create third-party applications for the hotly anticipated iPhone, which is set to go on sale at 6 p.m. in each time zone on June 29, Jobs announced.
However, within hours of Apple's public release of the beta for Safari 3.0 for Windows, three security researchers independently found holes within the new browser, prompting Apple to release a couple of updates to plug vulnerabilities.
While some developers may relish the chance to create iPhone applications using common Web development standards, this is not what many mobile-phone developers were hoping to hear. Unlike other mobile-device makers, Apple has chosen not to set up a software development kit or support community for iPhone applications at this time.
Call it the iPhone compromise--Apple is giving developers a chance to get their wares on the iPhone, but not every application will work properly inside a browser without native support. The decision means Apple has a better chance of guaranteeing application security and reliability on the native applications it does allow on the iPhone, but it falls short of what other smart-phone companies--notably Nokia--offer mobile-application developers.
The news certainly wasn't welcomed among CNET News.com readers.
"In other words, the iPhone will remain an expensive toy unless/until they change their mind," wrote one reader to News.com's TalkBack forum.
If you are looking for a place to buy an iPhone, Jobs has a suggestion: head to an AT&T store rather than Apple's own retail outlets. A CNET News.com survey of 75 Apple and AT&T stores indicates that it may be a wise approach.
Piracy and privacy
A court decision reached last month but under seal until last week could force Web sites to track visitors if the sites become defendants in a lawsuit. TorrentSpy, a popular BitTorrent search engine, was ordered on May 29 by a federal judge to create logs detailing users' activities on the site. The judge, Jacqueline Chooljian, however, granted a stay of the order to allow TorrentSpy to file an appeal.
See more CNET content tagged:
Steve Jobs, Apple iPhone, Week in review, Apple Computer, Apple Safari
44 comments
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I still don't care for Safari, but my experience doesn't agree with the other posters.
So Apple naturally releases it for the worlds most widely used OS to
encourage such development. Microsoft would never do this for
Mac OS X. It will be a cold day in hell before a ZunePhone will ever
be released. I'm not saying everything Apple does is right, far from
it. I had several problems with Safari 3 so I went back to 2 on Mac
and I couldn't even get it to install on Windows. I'd use Safari over
Firefox or IE anyday!
However the implications are far reaching.
This will lead to a new type of genetic engineering.
You could bring back to life extinct animals and plants with it.
You could also harness choline better from yellow mustard seeds without bleaching techniques and such.
However in the wrong hands or with little regulation this technology could be used for evil more so in the not so distint future than now.
You can imagine people being furthered in cancer and abnormalities by an electronic enemy they are not allowed to properly regulate or challange.
This issue needs to be dealt with.
Under tight regulation this technology could be very very usful for a lot of our problems today.
(A word of warning from the all knowing eye)
The result is a win for everybody ... web sites that work well with any browser on any platform. If Apple is successful, web sites that only work with IE on Windows will become a thing of the past.
Thats one thing I have to give credit for Apple the interface is like a glorified palm pilot (which is easy to use)
if you are planning to buy one please remember the following;
1) no swapping out batteries without cracking the case open and voiding warranty (thats usually the first thing to go on a phone or mobile device)
2) widgets without internet are dead widgets (I dont know about you but the only time I play on the phone is when I am waiting or out in the middle in the nowhere with no reception and If I would have wifi there I would be using my laptop not some dinky screen and that goes for all devices not just iPhone)
Apple haters are so funny. You jump all over a product just because it's made by Apple. Yet, when a competitor (*cough* Microsoft) comes up with something similar years later, you sing its praises.
It's the ease of use and the little things - the attention to detail - that Apple gets right. Until you figure that you, you'll always be stuck in your own little world.
Safari has worked well for those Windows users I've talked too. I was actually surprised they liked it so much, based on all the negative comments I read here.
Clearly Apple has more work to make it good with all zillion Windows variations.
Firefox is great, there's also Opera. Some really stupid people will never give up I.E.
But of course Apple, in it's pure elitist form will never ever give up trying to convince the masses how "superior" they are.
OK if you want me to use a Mac give it to me. I can't afford one. I also know people that have Macs and can't say I've been impressed at all with their feeble attempts to show me what the "superiority" is.
So if I can't get it for free shut up and go away. Cripes.
Despite SDKs being available on other "smartphones", how many must-have third party applications are there really?
Just like Google has been able to develop rather impressive AJAX-based applications on the PC, iPhone developers should be able to do likewise. Just look at what Google and Yahoo are doing for the iPhone already. Give them more time and perhaps word processor and spreadsheet apps will be ported.
The question is whether Apple will support this with the resources needed. A Windows-based browser requires much support, perhaps more than they estimate. After all, this is a company that has neglected .Mac and starting to neglect iWork. Are they stretching themselves too thin?
The saying "There is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch" couldn't be more true in the case of iTunes/Quicktime from Apple Inc.
iTunes & Quicktime for Windows contains Spyware -- software used to track usage of your computer and alter its operation. In addition, running these programs on Windows Vista can often crash your computer.
Personal information is transfered by Quicktime/iTunes, without your knowledge, to Apple computer, and its marketing partners, over the Internet.
IF YOU ALREADY HAVE iTUNES OR QUICKTIME INSTALLED ON YOUR NEW DESKTOP COMPUTER OR LAPTOP YOU CAN REMOVE IT BY GOING TO THE "PROGRAMS AND FEATURES" CONTROL PANEL (in VISTA), OR IF YOU ARE USING XP, BY GOING TO THE "ADD/REMOVE SOFTWARE" CONTROL PANEL.
How Apple's spywhere scheme works:
Since at least the year 2000, the Quicktime (and now iTunes) installer from Apple installed several programs, without the user's permission or knowledge, which permanently altered the user's Windows system.
In my case, I tried removing some of the components, but still, each time I visit ANY website that has Quicktime support, something installed by iTunes causes a couple of invisible background processes (qttask.exe and ituneshelper.exe) to get installed in my computer's Startup Programs list and launched. The claim for "ituneshelper.exe" is that it "required" for burning CD's, but it does not make sense why you need an INVISIBLE BACKGROUND PROGRAM running on your system 24 hours a day just so you can burn CD's once in a while. No other CD burning software has such a requirement.
The other program "qttask.exe" is also spyware with apparently no other purpose.
WHEN THESE PROGRAMS AUTOMATICALLY CONNECT TO APPLE'S SERVERS, BEHIND YOUR BACK, APPLE USES YOUR IP ADDERSS, AND OTHER INFORMATION TRANSFERRED TO APPLE FROM YOUR COMPUTER, TO PERSONALLY IDENTIFY AND TRACK YOU ON THE INTERNET FOR MARKETING (AND OTHER) PURPOSES.
APPLE INC. HAS A HISTORY OF SUCH ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS CASES WHERE REGULAR EMPLOYEES USED THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM MILLIONS OF COMPUTER USERS TO STALK PEOPLE.
I have since switched to alternatives (see below), but I was still stuck with Apple's spyware for weeks before I was able to remove it.
ALTERNATIVES TO APPLE'S QUICKTIME/ITUNES SPYWARE
=================================
IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO PLAY QUICKTIME (AND OTHER TYPES) OF MOVIES, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD "VIDEOLAN" FROM <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.videolan.org/" target="_newWindow">http://www.videolan.org/</a>
VIDEOLAN PLAYS QUICKTIME AND MOST OTHER FORMATS IN EXISTANCE INCLUDING DVD, MPEG ETC.
As far as music downloading service goes, there are many many alternatives including MusicMatch.com, Rahpsody.com, etc...
Since EVERY website you visit collects your IP address.
server has to know your IP address to send anything back to you. It
also has to know what your browser is capable of to display the
contents correctly. For example, is it capable of displaying image or
running Javascripts. Can't believe how low M$ fan boys can be!
personal information but, most of the personal information they
collect is info that you give them anyway. If you want to go the
the iTunes store and have personal preferences then you have to
share information. Anytime you go anywhere on the the internet
you are giving out browser, OS, and hardware specs because this
info is important to provide services over websites. Besides,
there is no"free lunch" here. If you are on windows using iTunes
you either have an iPod or are buying music from the iTunes
store so you are paying apple. If you are using quicktime to
watch movies then sombody paid to use their proprietary codec
avi.
Here is a common problem. Define spyware. If you use the
broad definition of "software that collects personal information
and or habits and then transmitts that data to a third party
without your expressed consent and knowledge" then 90% of all
software is spyware. MS, Apple, Google, Adobe, and nearly
every other software company does this. Usually it is just for
service adjustments to accomadate preferences such as in
Hotmail, Gmail, etc. Google collects info on your browsing
habits to display ads that are more likely to get your attention.
Micosoft does the same thing. Probably, the above definition
should be modified to include "malicious, negligent and/or
preditory intent".
By the way, I think Rover8's post looks like something that was
copied off of a blog somewhere because of the font changes and
the formatting.
It it really fast, but lack the tools of FF and even some of the basics ; it trucates URL addresses, why?
Some of the page rendering is also very interesting.
There is room for improvement and they have to start somewhere, IE7 and FF shouldn't be shaking in their boots yet, but lets give a year and see where we're at then.
Once we've all contributed to an Apple project that clearly wants a real slice of the browser pie and is willing to listen to what we users want, we may have a different beasty at our finger tips.
another browser - but I like some of the features. No, I love some
of the features. I like the small footprint. I love the the ctrl-click
which opens link in new tab. I really like the Merge All Windows
command. And my BIG fave which just might make this into my
number one browser (over time) is the ctrl-f functionality. Even
better than Firefox!
P.S.: No wonder Safari loads pages faster: it's a Beta version and it doesn't have phishing filter like IE7 does.
The UI clashes with the rest of Windows (when Microsoft develops for the Mac, they match the UI, so why doesn?t Apple?)
The address bar doesn?t select the URL when you click (why the hell not?)
The Flash player isn?t installed (even though RealPlayer, QuickTime, Acrobat and Java are, you need to install a plugin)
There?s this really confusing lightbulb button (it sends error reports)
The tab bar is hidden at first
Double-clicking the tab bar doesn?t open new tabs
The bookmark and tab bars use dark gray with black letters. Impossible to read at a glance!
Downloaded files have to all be downloaded to a specific folder (by default the desktop, annoying!)
Links open in new windows, not tabs
Are there any keyboard shortcuts for switching tabs? Don?t seem to be.
The font smoothing just thickens letters instead of actually, you know, smoothing fonts. Whatever it does, the text just makes me uncomfortable.
There?s no dialog for enabling/disabling plugins
The preferences reference ?Option-Tab?, which is strange since ?Option? isn?t on any Windows keyboards!
Preferences has no ?Ok? button. Does clicking ?X? do the same as ?Ok?? Jeez, Windows doesn?t work like that. Why are you confusing users?
What the hell does ?Reset? do?
Resizing the window ups CPU usage to 100%, making it real slow and tedious.
The SnapBack feature snaps forward for no reason. I don?t get it. It also snaps back to the front page of some sites, like Google Video, instead of the search results.
The windows gets smaller every time I open it! Arghh!
You can only resize the window from the bottom right-hand corner. That means if it is at the bottom of the screen, you need to grab the title bar, drag to the top of the screen, then go back to the bottom right-hand corner and drag outwards to resize. Fun fun.
Some of the installed plugins don?t seem to work, even the Quicktime one. Confuses the hell out of me.
Fair enough, it's a beta, it's normal, but IE7 betas were better IMHO, just like I find IE7 final better than Safari final.
like the look of it then don't use it. As far as flash player goes,
that is copyrighted and trademarked software so there may be
legal reasons it is not installed. Also, macromedia may not have
correctly ported the plugin yet.
Option-tab is the same as alt-tab. Also, cmd-"key X" is either
going to be ctrl-"key X" or windows-"key X".
Yes, closing the window in OS X automaticly saves any changes
you have made.
Firefox and IE7 but this beats them both (IE7 is no match to Firefox
to begin with). I have Stumbleupon toolbar for FF and IE7; safari so
far does not have it, once somebody (or SU) develops that, then this
would be the perfect browser. Also so far, its been mostly stable
except for few websites that I cant access, hopefully Apple would
fix these problems in the near future.
Have I missed a minimum requirement? Now I can't find those requirements. I'm using XP.