The Safari Browser – Is it for you?

The Safari Browser

Introduced by Apple as an internet interface for the PC, the Safari browser for Windows has been embraced by some users, while others found it to be buggy and unstable. The newest version, Safari 7 has new features that make it more usable. The Reader icon makes reading single pages easier, along with faster page loads and improved HTML5 support that supports stable video use.

Built by Apple for use on Apples, Macs and PCs, the Safari browser crosses platform lines and offers PC users the graphics of an Apple interface. This is not as neat a feat as it was a few years ago, since the advent of Android for Smartphones and Windows 8 for touchscreen use that offers a graphical interface like Apple. Safari has been embraced by some and shunned by others, but what it comes down to is you and what you want, so test-driving Safari on your computer is worth the time. You may like it so well, that it becomes your go-to browser on all of your devices.

Apple touches for your PC

As the first Windows browser for the PC that is also Apple compatible, Safari adds Top Sites that show a thumbnail view of your most visited sites. Updated on a daily basis, sites with new content show a starred icon for easy identification. Apple’s addition of Cover Flow allows you to browse your bookmarks in a full-page view in the order that you last browsed them. This function works like the iTunes album feature to which many are already accustomed.

Through the years, that Safari has been in use Apple has eliminated the bugs and developed a more stable platform for us on your PC. Navigation is also easier with the predictive URL bar that searches cached web pages for keywords. The enhanced Nitro Engine has increased the speed of the Safari browser and claims execution of JavaScript faster than earlier versions of the software.

The biggest drawback for PC users who opt for Safari is its lack of plug-ins compared to Google and Firefox but many users prefer the Apple style interface.

What Users Like

• Mode for private browsing (like Google’s incognito window)
• You can view a lot of content on one page due to Safari’s Reader function
• Most popular pages can be viewed at a glance
• Fast page loads with a stylish appearance
• Bookmarks can be viewed in iTunes style via Cover Flow

What Users Do Not Like

• Installation of components during set-up.
• Lack of available plugins. Plugins are necessary when running some applications.
• The Reader function is set to one font style and has no means of changing it to other styles.
• The biggest drawback of Safari is that like Windows XP, technical support is no longer available for a safari browser update.

About the Browsing, Not the Browser

Like many of the innovations of Apple, the Safari web browser offers a different experience to web surfers. Since it is designed with an emphasis on browsing, you don’t have a screen cluttered with extras and non-essentials, as do many browsers. The beauty of Safari is its uncluttered appearance. By streamlining the browser, you are reserving your computer’s memory for page loads and not software space robbing of your computer’s RAM.

Site Searches

Many of us do some heavy browsing when we connect to the internet, the Safari browser history function helps with your searches. Finding a site that you visited yesterday or last week can be difficult with some browsers. Safari offers a full history search using even the most obscure search terms. When you click on a page in Cover Flow it is already recognized so the page loads are fast and finding where you have been being as easy as knowing where you are going.

The Need for Speed

Proclaimed as the world’s fastest browser, the Safari browser for windows can blaze from page to page in mere seconds. Waiting for page loads can be frustrating but for impatient users, Safari aims to please and may offer the best browsing experience that you have ever had. It is faster than both Chrome and Firefox and when loading JavaScript, Safari blows both of the other browsers off the charts.

Lap Top Battery Life

Due to the streamlined architecture of Safari, all of that speed saves battery life. Therefore, pages not only load faster, but that speed also equates to a longer viewing time.

Safety from Third Parties

Browsing is not safe without security, and Safari helps protect you against malware, and fraudulent websites. If the site seems suspicious, Safari will prevent it from loading and will warn you that it is unsafe. Third-party cookies are blocked by default giving you another layer of protection when browsing. Safari also includes another feature called Sandboxing for websites.

This feature provides built-in protection against malicious code and malware by restricting what other websites can do to your computer. Due to the fact that Safari runs downloaded web pages in a separate process, harmful code that is downloaded will be confined to a single page on your browser instead of the entire browser and loaded pages preventing malicious code from crashing the entire browser or accessing your data.

One Browser for all of your Devices

Not only for your PC, but Safari can also be used on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet giving you continuity across your electronic devices. This will enable you to store your user names, passwords, and financial data on your trusted devices and will enable you to browse and make online purchases from wherever you happen to be. Protection is provided by a hearty 256-bit AES encryption, which is like keeping your data in a safe deposit box.

Simply Share

Now that you have found that interesting website, you want to share it. Safari makes that operation easy, too. You can share anything that you find on the web, from your Safari browser. Send it to your family and friends via mail, AirDrop or messages, Tweet it or post it to Facebook. You can even add comments and locations. Single sign-on for Twitter and Facebook logging in and staying connected easier than ever.

Ad Free Reading

The pages of the Safari internet browser are easy to read with Reader. Pages are optimized to be easy to view and focusing on the text is easier without ads and other pop-ups interrupting your browsing.

Minimalists

Safari, Chrome and Firefox have taken a minimalist design approach with their browsers. Which one you use has more to do with personal taste, than who designed it, as they all have features that are different from each other. Safari has found some avid followers, as have Google and Firefox, but Apple and Mac users find Safari to be the better platform. PC users are more varied in their tastes because there have been so many browsers over the years that were designed for Windows based systems.

Easy to Install

The Safari browser download only takes a few minutes to add to your PC. After your installation, you will be ready to start using the browser. The fact that it adds components to your PC’s hard drive will not sit well with users who don’t like software resetting their computers, but it is part of the package and required for the browser to work properly.

Which Browser is best for me?

Only you know which browser is best for you. Using different browsers will let you know which one you like the best. Like a new car, take them for a test drive first. It always takes a little adjusting when using new software, and using Safari is no different. The fact that it offers 256-bit encryption will appeal to the strong security conscious. For those who want to use the same browser on the iPhones, iPads, laptops, tablets and Smartphones, Safari will pair well with any of these platforms.