Safari for Windows discontinued?
With Apple's latest update for Mac OS X came Safari 6, an update to the default system web browser. And just like Microsoft does with Internet Explorer 9 and Internet Explorer 10, it looks as if the new browser version is exclusively tied to that operating system. Note: Technically, Microsoft is tying the IE browser to the latest two versions of the operating system, and Apple the Safari 6 browser to Mac OS X Lion and Mountain Lion.
Previous versions of Safari were also available on Windows, but the latest update to Safari 6 may introduce Apple's departure from the Windows operating system. When you open the Safari page you only get information about the browser, but no download links. Previously users were able to download Safari for Mac and Windows from the Apple page. All previous download urls redirect to the main page with no apparent option to download the browser for Windows or pre-Lion versions of Mac OS X. Safari 6 has been exclusively distributed via software updates for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion users.
The absence of download links does not necessarily mean that Safari for Windows has been discontinued, especially since Apple has not released an official statement yet regarding the issue.
According to Macworld, an Apple spokesperson hat that to say about the issue:
Safari 6 is available for Mountain Lion and Lion. Safari 5 continues to be available for Windows,†she said. Specifically, the final version of Safari available for Windows users is Safari 5.1.7.
Apple may have its reasons for discontinuing Safari on Windows. One possible explanation it the browser's low market share on Windows which may not justify the costs of maintaining and supporting a version of Safari for Windows.
Other explanations may be possible. Maybe it takes longer to develop and release the Safari 6 update for Windows, or Apple has it ready but wants to keep the version exclusive for its operating system for now.
How do you think this is going to evolve? Has Apple discontinued Safari for Windows, or will the company release the browser at a later time?
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I don’t have Safari and iTunes installed, but whenever I launched Apple Software update, it would prompt me to install them alongside the QuickTime Pllayer I already have installed. Now it doesn’t show Safari in that list, just iTunes.
Seems like enough confirmation to me that Safari is dead on Windows. Good riddance! :)
Its discontinued because of social features in OSX version i think – they dont have way to implement them in Windows version; imo its far too complicated.
Nevertheless i dont find its a terrible loss – Safari was less popular on Windows.
AND NOTHING OF VALUE WAS LOST
I quite like Safari as second browser, the first one being Firefox. It surely beats Opera which I maintain as third browser, albeit I deem it utter crap, and IE8,. which I don’t bother upgrading. What Chrome is concerned, the installation seems to be to intransparent for me.
Now back to the upgrade issue of Safari: I trust, that when I point it to ghacks.net in 2016 I still will be able to read everything here. That it might not support animated png’s I don’t necessarily as disadvantage.
With Chrome I’d be afraid of getting hacked, esp. since it’s made by a company whose whole business model is based on invading your privacy. Google was even convicted of a felony for hacking around the privacy features of Safari, the same type of thing the Russian Mafia does, but they only got a $2 million fine. Chrome is planning on hiding the location bar, so you can’t see what the real URL is. Maybe it’s because Google is used for a lot of piggyback links, links that go to Google and have you send it to the real destination, just so Google knows what you are reading.
I use Safari on iOS and it’s terrible.
6 more months to go :)
I think Safari for Windows is discontinued.
My reaction http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/22717437.jpg
Martin Apple bundled Safari with Safari? :D
OK Martin it’s the weekend so you are excused haha
I think you meant iTunes in which case you’d be right (and I hate those kinda of bundles).
I think I tried Safari just once and removed it shortly after.
I’m one of those Firefox enthusiasts (but not without criticisms) but even if I had to pick another browser Safari would come after a very long list of alternatives.
Haha sorry, playing TF2 on my other monitor and was slightly distracted ;)
In both cases not a big loss to the concerning OS if you ask me…
I do not know a single Windows users who is using the browser. I do seem to remember that Apple did bundle it with itunes at one point in time.
I use it in Windows just to get the font rendering.
Same here!
Safari was never all that popular for Windows and I suspect that Firefox was more popular for the Macs!
Oh well, another Browser bites the dust!