Apple has surprised the technology world by releasing their web browser, Safari, for Windows.
As a Firefox user, I can see this negatively or positively.
In a negative light, Safari may take people away from Firefox. But, then again, if that happens then Firefox probably deserves it.
In a positive light, the emergence of Safari will probably have the medium term effect of further lessening the grip that Internet Explorer has upon Web Browsers. When Firefox came along, IE had around 95% of the marketplace. These days it is between 80-85%. The release of Safari, hopefully, will result in less IE being used.
The longer term effect will be interesting. Firefox introduces users to the world of Open Source Software. There's a chance that more PC users may opt for Linux because of their exposure to Firefox. With Safari, a similar thing may happen. But instead of being exposed to the world of Linux, they are exposed to the world of Apple computing. Safari, therefore, could essentially form the basis of Apple's future strategy by narrowing the barrier some people might have with using Apple computer products. iPods have already given Apple a popular boost, so might Safari.
My personal feeling is that it is great. Moreover, if Apple make a version for Linux I might even be tempted to use one. Firefox still has a lot of issues that need to be solved.
Update:
Safari has been downloaded 1 million times.
As a Firefox user, I can see this negatively or positively.
In a negative light, Safari may take people away from Firefox. But, then again, if that happens then Firefox probably deserves it.
In a positive light, the emergence of Safari will probably have the medium term effect of further lessening the grip that Internet Explorer has upon Web Browsers. When Firefox came along, IE had around 95% of the marketplace. These days it is between 80-85%. The release of Safari, hopefully, will result in less IE being used.
The longer term effect will be interesting. Firefox introduces users to the world of Open Source Software. There's a chance that more PC users may opt for Linux because of their exposure to Firefox. With Safari, a similar thing may happen. But instead of being exposed to the world of Linux, they are exposed to the world of Apple computing. Safari, therefore, could essentially form the basis of Apple's future strategy by narrowing the barrier some people might have with using Apple computer products. iPods have already given Apple a popular boost, so might Safari.
My personal feeling is that it is great. Moreover, if Apple make a version for Linux I might even be tempted to use one. Firefox still has a lot of issues that need to be solved.
Update:
Safari has been downloaded 1 million times.
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