Safari on Windows

If nothing else, perhaps it’ll raise the state of the art of browser rendering quality and user interfaces. I use a WebKit-based browser normally and I am always amazed at just how late-1990s Windows-GDI the Internet looks when I have to use something else.

UPDATE: A lot of blogs seem to be speculating that Apple is trying to re-ignite the browser wars, or kill Firefox, or whatever. While that may be the transmission from the RDF, I kinda think that the alternative theory — that this is a tactic to win Mac converts (sic) — seems more likely.

Let’s say Apple grabs 1% market share on Windows. That’s awesome because they can make some revenue from the Google search box. But really, that revenue is a drop in a bucket for a company Apple’s size. Much better would be that Apple never climbs beyond a few percent market share on Windows because all of the users who like Safari decide to make a MacBook their next machine. Let’s face it, for most casual users these days the browser is the computer (or at least the operating system) so a pleasant experience with Safari might just convince a few users to grab a stylish new MacBook to go with their iPod, since that Safari thing is OK and I heard they can run Windows now.

Apple makes three kinds of software:

• Mac OS X, which sells machines and earns revenue
• Free software, which promotes Mac OS X
• $1000 software, which earns revenue

Don’t mistake any free software from Apple as anything more than an attempt to move more hardware.

The last thing to mention is that there are more security-conscious eyes looking at Windows software than Mac OS X — what better way to live test the security of your upcoming browser than to put it in the harshest environment possible? Sure, a lot of Windows bullshit holes will be exposed, but I’m sure some apply to Mac OS X as well. Were I an engineering manager I would consider the Windows beta test a stroke of genius.