Let me start by saying this browser is FAST! From the minute I loaded my first web page (my.msn.com), I was convinced that this was the fastest browser I’ve used on a Mac so far. Especially when using Gmail and Google Calendar is where I noticed the most speed enhancements. It felt snappy and the colors really pop out at you. Webkit has been known to be a great foundation for browsers lately, I mean, look at Chrome… It’s also very fast and handles Javascript very well. In fact, Safari 4b is very reminiscent of Google Chrome. From the “Top Sites” layout showing the most visited website, to the tabs positioned on top of the browser window.
Safari 4b Tabs
I wouldn’t be surprised if Google released something identical to Safari 4b in the very near future. This isn’t a bad thing. I’ve been waiting for something as fast as Chrome to make its way to the Mac for some time, and I’m happy that it was Apple who released it. But if I was a PC user, I would continue to use Chrome or IE7 until further notice.
As I write this post (using Safari 4b) I’ve already moved the tabs back down to the usual position underneath the bookmark bar. To do this on a Mac, just open Terminal and enter the following command: defaults write com.apple.Safari DebugSafari4TabBarIsOnTop -bool FALSE
I rarely use the “Top Sites” feature and the Cover Flow for History items is still a bit too much glamour (and wasted processor power) for me. The only place Cover Flow has worked so far is in iPhone and iPod, and man does it work beautifully in a touch-screen environment. Maybe this is where Apple is headed. Could we be looking at the next generation browser for an upcoming touch-screen device from Apple? Or perhaps we’re looking at a sneak peek of the next Finder with tabs, which would be awesome! Guess we’ll have to wait and see…