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gkarris

macrumors G3
Original poster
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
Safari for Windows?

Why bother competing in space DOMINATED by Microsoft?

I can see iTunes for the iPod so that windows users can use Apple's music player, but for web browsing?

That, and the iPhone for AT&T - talk about a waste of Apple's time and resources...

What is going on? :mad:
 

clevin

macrumors G3
Aug 6, 2006
9,095
1
they are releasing it for iPhone developer. and apparently apple didn't put too much energy in it anyway, so no waste of resource.
 

mduser63

macrumors 68040
Nov 9, 2004
3,042
31
Salt Lake City, UT
Sorry, I didn't read the keynote - what does releasing Safari for Windows have to do with the iPhone???

Developers can develop apps for the iPhone using Web 2.0/AJAX programming and they'll be run using Safari on the iPhone. Having Safari on Windows means that you can test your apps in Safari, just like you can test widgets in Safari. However, I'm not convinced that's the only reason. I think it's more of a way to try to help entice people to switch to the Mac. To be honest though, as a Safari user (used it on Windows at work all day too), I don't see how it's going to work. It's just not that much better than Firefox (or for that matter IE7) on Windows.
 

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
Safari for Windows?

Why bother competing in space DOMINATED by Microsoft?

I can see iTunes for the iPod so that windows users can use Apple's music player, but for web browsing?

That, and the iPhone for AT&T - talk about a waste of Apple's time and resources...

What is going on? :mad:

not completely the only why safria will get any real respect and have websights test for is it has to be on more computers. As it stands Safrai is below 5% market share and it was impossible to go above that amount and it was lower because there are also alternative browsers on OSX.

Firefox has a good size base to it and it is growing at a much faster rate so it websights are starting to be tested on it. Safria has to be on windows computer before people will really care to make sure their sight works on it. If apple can make it better than a poor quality port then it would do a lot of good for apple in the long run.
 

MisterMe

macrumors G4
Jul 17, 2002
10,709
69
USA
... As it stands Safrai is below 5% market share and it was impossible to go above that amount and it was lower because there are also alternative browsers on OSX.

...
This is true, but it is by no means the only reason. The real reason is money. Every time someone uses the search panel in Safari, Apple gets a part of Google's ad take. Mozilla has a similar arrangement with Google and makes a buttload of money. Apple's take is much smaller. By adding a Windows version of Safari, its marketshare is sure to rise along with its haul from Google.
 

FleurDuMal

macrumors 68000
May 31, 2006
1,801
0
London Town
I wonder if Apple would ever release the iLife package on Windows? With Safari and iTunes both on Windows, it looks like a possibility.
 

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
That would greatly diminish the reasons to buy a Mac...

I do not think it would. The biggest reason to get a Mac is OSX. Things like iLife play a minor if any part in it.

iLife is nice and all but lets face it you can get semiluar products for windows just as easily. Not as nice mind you but still close enough.
 

thworple

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2005
349
0
Sussex, England
I do not think it would. The biggest reason to get a Mac is OSX. Things like iLife play a minor if any part in it.

iLife is nice and all but lets face it you can get semiluar products for windows just as easily. Not as nice mind you but still close enough.


Actually I think iLife is one of the major reasons for people choosing to switch from Windows to OS X, so I don't think it would make sense to release it on Microsoft's platform, lest it diminishes the reasons to buy a Mac over a WinPC.

Look at most comparison reviews between the OSs and you'll see that nearly all of them state iLife as one of the major reasons why OS X is seen as a superior OS for consumers, along with its robustness and security against viruses.
 

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
Actually I think iLife is one of the major reasons for people choosing to switch from Windows to OS X, so I don't think it would make sense to release it on Microsoft's platform, lest it diminishes the reasons to buy a Mac over a WinPC.

Look at most comparison reviews between the OSs and you'll see that nearly all of them state iLife as one of the major reasons why OS X is seen as a superior OS for consumers, along with its robustness and security against viruses.

Reason I choose OSX is because things just work and no virus. Guess what iLife is hardly used and I really didnt care for it. It a minor part. Reason my brother likes it is things just work. Guess what he never even used iLife.
 

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
I wonder if Apple would ever release the iLife package on Windows? With Safari and iTunes both on Windows, it looks like a possibility.

iLife is too intermixed with OS X for it to work as well on Windows. iTunes is rather it own beast, same with Safari, which is why they'll work. iChat is another possibility. but iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and iWeb rely too much on core OS X to work, imo.
 

danny_w

macrumors 601
Mar 8, 2005
4,471
301
Cumming, GA
Safari for Windows?

Why bother competing in space DOMINATED by Microsoft?
I can see one reason that I would like to see Safari on Windows. I have to use Windows at work, and I choose to use Mac at home. The only common browser that I have found that I somewhat like is FireFox, which I use primarily because it is the same (well, almost) on both systems, and I can easily sync my bookmarks with Google sync. I would probably choose to use Safari instead if it had versions for both systems, and I could sync bookmarks. I have not used a Microsoft browser in years and have no reason to do so.
 

ham_man

macrumors 68020
Jan 21, 2005
2,265
0
Why bother competing in space DOMINATED by Microsoft?
Everytime someone Google's something using the toolbar in Safari, Apple gets a small kickback. Per John Gruber's calculations, by expanding Safari to Windows, Apple can potentially open themselves up to a source of revenue offering upwards of fifty million annually. And for what I guess is a limited investment of developer resources, it seems like a smart play to me...
 

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
iLife is too intermixed with OS X for it to work as well on Windows. iTunes is rather it own beast, same with Safari, which is why they'll work. iChat is another possibility. but iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and iWeb rely too much on core OS X to work, imo.

I think they need to get iChat on windows right now because video chat in Chat is just a a gimmick but fairly useless and that video chat is what really make iChat great and the big feature of it.
Reason it just a gimmick is a plan numbers games. Hardly anyone can use it because it only good with other macs. Business really can not use it because most do not have it and at the very least there competitors do not have it.
Apple users who have it currently can not really use it with many of there friends because most of them would be PC users. If they get it on PC the video chat would really take off.
 

surferfromuk

macrumors 65816
Feb 1, 2007
1,153
0
Apart from the obvious iPhone link ;

How about say 10 of the 18 million Mac Safari users running it on the PC's they *have* to use in their working lives....

Just that alone would add another 3% to the browsing stats!.

If they get 10% of the firefox 15% and 5% of the IE users 75% you have approaching 25% browser share which is big enough to warrant ALL websites making sure they work with Safari.
This guarantees good mac and iphone web browsing compatibility which is naturally good for business.
 

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
Apart from the obvious iPhone link ;

How about say 10 of the 18 million Mac Safari users running it on the PC's they *have* to use in their working lives....

Just that alone would add another 3% to the browsing stats!.

you forget something about those numbers. Most people are not allowed to add software to there work computer and a lot of things work wise are IE only. They have no reason to switch over to another system because it is only people who work there have to log into something with IE.
Also add in most people do not use computers at work. So they could not change the numbers much. I would say you would be lucky to get a change of 500k in the favor of safari. Your 5/9 mac user change at work is very hopeful. you would be lucky to get 1/9 mac users being able to do it. Plus right now safari is pretty poor on windows.
As bad as it sounds IE activeX does allow for a lot of things that the other browsers just can not do. It is one of IE greatest strengths and weaknesses.

Also on a side note has any one gotten the spell checker to work on windows Safira yet.
 
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