Apple released today the Safari 4 beta for both Mac and Windows. It wasn’t long after it was announced that I downloaded it since, like every other Mac user, I had to check it out. These are some quick impressions from the beta.
The need for speed. Thanks to the Nitro engine, Apple is claiming that JavaScript now executes thirty times faster than Microsoft’s solution — and three times faster than Mozilla’s! While there is definitely a speed increase, I am unable to notice how much it is, exactly. Still, more speed is always welcome.
How tabbed browsing now looks in Safari 4.
Improved tabbing. The tabs for browsing multiple websites have now been cleverly merged into the top of the window. What this does is put idle space to good use, which is also welcome even if it is only a handful of pixels.
Cover Flow for everyone. Yes, there’s now Cover Flow in Safari too. Is there even an application that Apple hasn’t built Cover Flow into yet?!
Top sites. Now, this was my favorite feature. Whenever you open a new browsing window, Safari greets you with your favorites. What makes this special is that Safari automatically detects recent websites that you browse into frequently, and displays them in a typical eye-candy form from Apple. If you grow tired of Safari changing your favorites, you can set them manually too.
Top sites within Safari.
Smart, smart, smart… Smart favorites, smart address field, smart search bar. At this rate, how long before the Mac becomes aware of itself?
Subtleties. While it may also have more than a couple of small changes, some in particular caught my eye: the progress bar within the address field is gone (replaced by the familiar rotating cog-like thing), and the refresh button has been added at the end of the address field (like the iPhone version of Safari). Huh.
While Apple has released very stable beta versions of its software in the past, it must be noted that this one may still contain some potentially devastating bugs. But if curiosity still gets the best of you, the Safari 4 beta is a free download from its homepage.
