Apple opens Windows browser

Internet Explorer now has more than Firefox to worry about

Apple is all set to go head-to-head with Microsoft and Mozilla in the Internet browser wars with the introduction of a Windows version of its Safari browser.

Touted as the “world’s fastest browser for Macs and PCs”, Apple claimed that when it comes to rendering pages Safari 3 is twice as fast as Internet Explorer 7 and 1.6 times faster than Mozilla’s Firefox 2, according to independent iBench tests. Safari has enjoyed being the fastest Mac browser for some time but Apple CEO Steve Jobs thinks it’s time to “dream big”.

“We think Windows users are going to be really impressed when they see how fast and intuitive web browsing can be with Safari,” Jobs said. “Hundreds of millions of Windows users already use iTunes, and we look forward to turning them on to Safari’s superior browsing experience too.”

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is already losing market share to Firefox and the arrival of Safari for Windows will no doubt help further weaken its dominance in the Internet browser arena.

Apple is promoting its trade-mark ‘ease-of-use’ for the new Safari, while other features include a simple bookmarking and page tabbing system, as well as an in-built RSS reader.

A beta version of Safari 3 for Windows can be downloaded here.

www.apple.com/safari