Apple Safari Browser
Safari Browser
In January 2003, Steve Jobs announced that Apple was developing its own browser: Safari.
Prior to this, the Mac system used Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer as its default browser.
The first official ("out-of-beta") version of Safari was released in June 2003. In April 2005, Safari became the default browser for Mac systems.
Like many Apple products, Safari is renowned for its ease of use and clean design. Safari supports both Mac and Windows systems.
Safari Statistics
The table below details Safari usage from the Browser Statistics:
| 2014 | Total | S 7 | S 6 | S 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 3.8 % | 3.0 % | 0.7 % | 0.3 % | |
| April | 4.0 % | 2.8 % | 0.8 % | 0.4 % | |
| March | 3.9 % | 2.5 % | 0.9 % | 0.5 % | |
| February | 4.0 % | 2.5 % | 1.0 % | 0.5 % | |
| January | 3.9 % | 2.3 % | 1.1 % | 0.5 % | |
| 2013 | Total | S 7 | S 6 | S 5 | S 4 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 3.8 % | 2.2 % | 1.1 % | 0.5 % | 0.0 % |
| November | 4.0 % | 2.0 % | 1.4 % | 0.6 % | 0.0 % |
| October | 3.8 % | 1.0 % | 2.1 % | 0.7 % | 0.0 % |
| September | 3.9 % | 3.1 % | 0.8 % | 0.0 % | |
| August | 3.9 % | 3.0 % | 0.9 % | 0.0 % | |
| July | 3.6 % | 2.8 % | 0.8 % | 0.0 % | |
| June | 3.9 % | 3.0 % | 0.9 % | 0.0 % | |
| May | 4.0 % | 2.9 % | 1.0 % | 0.0 % | |
| April | 4.0 % | 2.8 % | 1.1 % | 0.0 % | |
| March | 4.1 % | 2.8 % | 1.2 % | 0.1 % | |
| February | 4.1 % | 2.7 % | 1.3 % | 0.1 % | |
| January | 4.2 % | 2.7 % | 1.4 % | 0.1 % | |
| 2012 | Total | S 6 | S 5 | S 4 | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 4.2 % | 2.6 % | 1.5 % | 0.1 % | |
| November | 4.4 % | 2.6 % | 1.7 % | 0.1 % | |
| October | 4.3 % | 2.3 % | 1.9 % | 0.1 % | |
| September | 4.2 % | 1.9 % | 2.2 % | 0.1 % | |
| August | 4.0 % | 1.4 % | 2.5 % | 0.1 % | |
| July | 3.9 % | 0.2 % | 3.6 % | 0.1 % | |
| June | 4.1 % | 4.0 % | 0.1 % | ||
| May | 4.3 % | 4.2 % | 0.1 % | ||
| April | 4.5 % | 4.4 % | 0.1 % | ||
| March | 4.4 % | 4.3 % | 0.1 % | ||
| February | 4.5 % | 4.4 % | 0.1 % | ||
| January | 4.3 % | 4.2 % | 0.1 % | ||
| 2011 | Total | S 5 | S 4 | S 3 | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 4.2 % | 4.1 % | 0.1 % | 0.0 % | |
| November | 4.2% | 4.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | |
| October | 4.2% | 4.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | |
| September | 4.0% | 3.8% | 0.2% | 0.0% | |
| August | 3.8% | 3.6% | 0.2% | 0.0% | |
| July | 3.6% | 3.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% | |
| June | 3.7% | 3.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% | |
| May | 4.0% | 3.6% | 0.3% | 0.1% | |
| April | 4.1% | 3.7% | 0.3% | 0.1% | |
| March | 4.0% | 3.6% | 0.3% | 0.1% | |
| February | 4.1% | 3.6% | 0.4% | 0.1% | |
| January | 4.0% | 3.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | |
| 2010 | Total | S5 | S4 | S3 | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 3.8% | 3.2% | 0.5% | 0.1% | |
| November | 4.0% | 3.1% | 0.7% | 0.2% | |
| October | 3.9% | 3.1% | 0.7% | 0.1% | |
| September | 3.7% | 2.9% | 0.7% | 0.1% | |
| August | 3.5% | 2.6% | 0.8% | 0.1% | |
| July | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.0% | 0.1% | |
| June | 3.6% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 0.1% | |
| May | 3.5% | 3.3% | 0.2% | ||
| April | 3.7% | 3.5% | 0.2% | ||
| March | 3.7% | 3.5% | 0.2% | ||
| February | 3.8% | 3.5% | 0.3% | ||
| January | 3.7% | 3.4% | 0.3% | ||
| 2009 | Total | S4 | S3 | ||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 3.6% | 3.3% | 0.3% | ||
| November | 3.8% | 3.4% | 0.4% | ||
| October | 3.8% | 3.3% | 0.5% | ||
| September | 3.6% | 3.0% | 0.6% | ||
| August | 3.3% | 2.6% | 0.7% | ||
| July | 3.3% | 2.4% | 0.9% | ||
| June | 3.1% | 1.7% | 1.4% | ||
| May | 3.0% | 0.9% | 2.1% | ||
| April | 3.0% | 0.9% | 2.1% | ||
| March | 3.1% | 1.0% | 2.1% | ||
| February | 3.0% | 0.2% | 2.8% | ||
| January | 3.0% | 0.1% | 2.9% | ||
| 2008 | Total | S3 | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| December | 2.7% | 2.7% | |||
| November | 2.7% | 2.7% | |||
| October | 2.8% | 2.8% | |||
| September | 2.7% | 2.7% | |||
| August | 2.6% | 2.6% | |||
| July | 2.5% | 2.5% | |||
| June | 2.6% | 2.6% | |||
| May | 2.4% | 2.4% |
The above statistical data is based on users from the tutorialpro.org website.
Safari 7
Safari 7/6.1 was released on June 10, 2013. Safari 7 (for OS X Mavericks) and Safari 6.1 (for Lion and Mountain Lion) were released on October 22, 2013, along with OS X Mavericks.
New Features:
- Improved JavaScript performance and memory usage
- New look for Top Sites and Sidebar
- iCloud Keychain - Stores/generates random passwords for online use. Also securely stores your credit card information.
- Share Link feature - Collects all shared links.
- Power Saver feature - Pauses plug-ins when not in use.
Safari 6
Safari 6 was released on July 25, 2012.
Apple has stated: "Safari 6 runs on Mountain Lion and Lion. Safari 5 continues to run on Windows."
New Features:
- iCloud Tabs
- Web Audio API - Allows users to create audio effects in interactive web applications.
- Support for CSS Filters
- Better HTML5 support - Timed text tracks, media synchronization.
- Improved JavaScript support - ECMA 262 Edition 5.1.
- Privacy detection
- Redesigned Web Inspector
- Custom Reading
Safari 6 is integrated into OS X Mountain Lion - not available for download from Apple's website or other sources.
Apple released Safari 6 for OS X Lion users via Software Update. Apple no longer releases versions for OS X prior to Lion and Windows.
Safari 5
Safari 5 was released on June 7, 2010.
Safari 5 runs on both Mac and Windows.
New Features:
- Nitro JavaScript Engine - The Mac version of Safari 5 is powered by the Nitro JavaScript engine, which executes JavaScript 30% faster than Safari 4.
- DNS prefetching to speed up page loading - Like Google's Chrome browser, it uses DNS (Domain Name System) prefetching to improve the speed of loading new web pages, while also enhancing the history page cache, making responses to returning to these pages faster.
- Safari Reader - Presents articles through a new scrollable interface, eliminating extraneous content and clutter, making single or multi-page articles easier to read. When Safari 5 detects an article, users can click the reader icon in the smart address bar to display the entire article, providing a clear, uninterrupted reading interface that can be enlarged, printed, or emailed.
- HTML5 Features - Added over a dozen powerful HTML5 features, such as full-screen playback and support for closed captions in HTML5 video, allowing web developers to create rich media experiences. Other new HTML5 features in Safari 5 include HTML5 geolocation, HTML5 sectioning elements, HTML5 drag-and-drop attributes, HTML5 form validation, HTML5 Ruby, HTML5 AJAX history, EventSource, and WebSocket.
- Secure Extensions - The new free Safari Developer Program allows developers to customize and enhance Safari 5 with extensions built using standard web technologies like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. The new Extension Builder in Safari 5 simplifies the development, installation, and packaging of extensions. To enhance security and stability, Safari extensions run in a sandbox, are signed with Apple's digital certificate, and only run within the browser.
- Built-in Bing Search - Users can choose Google, Yahoo!, or Bing as the search service for Safari's search bar.
Older Safari Versions
Safari 4 (for Mac and Windows) - Released in June 2009.
Safari 3 (for Mac and Windows) - Released in October 2007.
Safari 2 (for Mac) - Released in April 2005.
Safari 1 (for Mac) - Released in June 2003.