Mar 21 2008

Apple pushes Safari on Windows via iTunes updater

Apple has started offering Windows users its Safari 3.1 Web browser through the same online updater it utilizes for iTunes and the QuickTime video player.

With the release of Safari 3.1 on Tuesday, Apple started giving Windows users the option of downloading Safari via the Apple Software Update pop-up.

"Safari for Windows is the fastest and easiest-to-use web browser for the PC. It displays web pages faster than any other browser and is filled with innovative features -- all delivered in an efficient and elegant user interface," states Apple's message in the pop-up screen.

The move is a more aggressive play by Apple to snatch browser market share from Microsoft.

In February, Microsoft's Internet Explorer had a 74.9 percent share of the browser market in terms of usage, while Firefox had 17.3 percent, and Safari had 5.7 percent, according to figures from Net Applications, which measures Web traffic and market share.

Care for some Safari with your iTunes?

(Credit: Apple)

Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet notes that when Apple CEO Steve Jobs first unveiled Safari for Windows last June, he said that the main way Apple planned to get Safari on Windows is through its Software Update program.

"Jobs said that Apple plans to use iTunes as a distribution vehicle for Safari for Windows. He noted that there are a million downloads of iTunes a day, with 500 million of those going to Windows machines."

Posted in: Music
Tags: Safari on Windows,
 

Recent posts from Crave:

Add a Comment (Log in or register) 3 comments (Page 1 of 1)
Article mis-titled
by jscottm124 March 21, 2008 9:35 AM PDT
The article should be titled: "Apple pushes iTunes on Windows via Safari updater". I've downloaded and used Safari since it's beta. I don't use it much, mostly for viewing Web sites in development. I don't use iTunes at all, and I don't want to use it. I'm always annoyed when the Apple software updater pops up, offering to update QuickTime, and iTunes+Quicktime.
Reply to this comment
Microsoft should be thrilled
by mindgamez March 21, 2008 10:29 AM PDT
Microsoft should be thrilled. Finally a Windows browser that makes IE look good. Accidentally installed the latest Thursday morning and visited a few sites. Wow. IE7 looks better and better. Because that dropped this steaming pile in my updates for iTunes, it and iTunes have been uninstalled and YamiPod now runs my iPod
Reply to this comment
Same ballgame
by MadLyb March 21, 2008 10:32 AM PDT
Went through this crap with Quicktime. For a while, you could not update Quicktime without installing iTunes, so when Jobs was bragging about the number of installs of iTunes, he didn't mention that he had made Quicktime a hostage in the process. So, now he is doing the same thing with Safari. At least I can decline now and keep both iTunes and Safari off my system.
Reply to this comment
Powered by Jive Software