next story Blogs_next_icon

Safari 3 - What's the point of taking on Internet Explorer?

Apple Inc. enters the browser wars? Sort of. Will the average user use it? Damn straight they will.

Okay, so the release of Safari for Windows obviously isn't some play to seriously get into the browser market, for right now. It works so poorly that there's already been a patch and its special features are barely interesting. As we pointed out, if a company wants to write a program to run on the iPhone, it will need to run in Safari, on the iPhone. So software companies need a Windows Safari. But that doesn't help you or me. It does help Steve Jobs. Not today, but further on up the road.

There is only one piece of Apple software that runs on Windows machines. That's iTunes. It's a very popular software. But it's not popular because it's a great way to manage your digital music, it's popular because iPod owners need it to get songs on their iPod (unless you're savvy and have searched out one of the alternatives). There are 100 million iPod owners and counting! Take out the Apple freaks and computer geeks, I'll guess there are 80 million copies of iTunes running today.

So Apple got the MP3 player right and dominates that market today. So it seems strange that their second foray into Windows software is 1) so poorly done and 2) already dominated by Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Considering how much human activity takes place through web browsers, it's not that strange that Apple wants to be a player, but will IE users switch? Maybe not today, or next year. I think that Steve Jobs is thinking they switch several years from now. Why?

Let's review what happened with the iPod/iTunes. Here a chart (thanks Wikipedia!) showing the number of iPods sold during each fiscal quarter:

You'll notice what seems to be a small jump in the 4th quarter of 2004. That's actually over a 100% jump in sales from the previous quarter. "That must be when the Windows iPod came out!" you may think. Nope. The first iPod that could work on a Windows machine came out two years before then (July 2002). What happened in 2004 Q4 is that the iPod got a color screen and became fully functional through a USB port. Prior to that you needed a Firewire port, which was common on Macs, but not found on most PCs. (You can't help but notice the other two big jumps: people buying iPods during the holiday season).

So where is this heading? Let's see. Right now Apple is saying you need iTunes to set up your iPhone. Did you know the iPhone can sync with you Yahoo! Mail contacts? And, gosh, I need a web browser to access my Yahoo! Mail. I can't afford an iPhone today, but will I be able to afford one in 2009? Or, more likely, will my wife buy me an iPhone for Christmas in 2011 after years of me talking about it? And will Apple need a fully functional web browsing software, that works flawlessly on Windows machines, to ensure iPhone users a high-quality, easy experience? Damn straight they will.

Problem not solved? Ask a Zolved Guru...	Friend needs help? Try Zolved Remote Control...	rate the article
	del.icio.us stumble	print

next story Blogs_next_icon

Comments

comments feed

add comment

Posted by: brad_4343 at 18 Jun 11:42 permalink

I have a Mac and waited for many years to get one. I use it mostly for work and a little surfing.
For some, Mac and Safari are fine, for others not. You must do the research and be able to define your needs and then apply the appropriate system. I like my Mac Book Pro and Safari. So, each must look carefully. I don't often take what other people say too seriously unless they show a comparison and show pros and cons. If any show preference to a brand without an objective presentation I'll pass over those quickly. I like things about PCs and then again, like things about the Macs. Each have their place and when used well and barring malfunctions, do a good job with the applications. I don't rpomote one over the other. I do prefer Macs. But, it is due to my needs. So it must be for each who must a choose and OS and computer. Just do the homework and you'll get what you can be happy with.

reply

reply
Posted by: allenwatkins_2974 at 18 Jun 13:28 permalink

You do realize that Safari for Windows is a beta release and the whole point of releasing it was to work out the bugs every initial software program has. For me, they have been no problems whatsoever and it runs much faster than either Internet Explorer and Firefox. For people who spend a lot of time on the Net, speed is very important.Further, Apple has made Windows software for years before iTunes, (Quicktime, Filemaker, etc), and along with iTunes, are quality pieces of software that you probably just didn't know were made by Apple, right? People use the iPod and iTunes because Apple got it right. I see nothing wrong with giving people choices. If you don't like using Beta software, keep on browsing the same as beforehand. It will be nice for developers of Web apps for the iPhone to see exactly how their product will function. And, Apple, keep on working. I like what I see and look forward to the future.

reply

reply
- Posted by: RJ45 at 18 Jun 22:53 permalink
  
  I mentioned in the other article that it's only in public beta and what that means ("that's what a beta release is all about: put it out there, find out what's broke, fix it, then release a working version"), but failed to mention it here.
  
  To the point about Apple software for Windows, I think my point stands, although I could have been more specific I guess. As far as an average users is concerned, iTunes is the only Apple software they use, as in interact with. Quicktime? You don't really use it, do you? It just runs when you try to play a file in Quicktime format. And Filemaker? While a object-oriented, relational database might be the best way to manage data, it's not something that 80% of computers users need to use (like word processing, photo/music management software, web browsers).
  
  Thanks for commenting though. I was trying to point out where Apple is heading, so I skipped some details here and there.
  
  reply
  
  reply