Safari 7.0 to bring web notifications to OS X Mavericks

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Apple is bringing its push notifications to the web, enabling support for websites to push updates to OS X Maverick users in Safari 7.0 even when their browser isn't running.

web notifications
Source: Apple


The new web push notification system in Safari 7.0 can be used to deliver websites' breaking news, sport scores, auction alerts (as depicted by Apple in its feature preview, above), or other information.

web notifications


As with Apple's existing native app and cloud service notifications, users must opt-in to allow access to the feature, as demonstrated in a test site set up (above) by Connor LaCombe at kandutech.net.

After a user allows access, the site lets them compose a new notification. The demo server then associates the user's push token with the message and forwards it to Apple's push servers, which then delivers it to the user.

web notifications
web notifications
web notifications

Managing notifications & Do Not Disturb mode

Web notifications look and work like any other notification alert. Their appearance can be customized by the user in System Preferences to show up as a temporary banner that vanishes on its own, or an alert that must be clicked to dismiss.

web notifications


The user can also turn off notifications by service or system wide using Do Not Disturb, a feature introduced in iOS 6 that will appear on the Mac in OS X Mavericks. As on mobile devices, users can set Do Not Disturb to disable incoming notification alerts during a set period, when the screen is asleep or during presentations.

web notifications


Macs running OS X Mavericks will automatically enter Do Not Disturb mode when a projector is attached or when using AirPlay Mirroring (a feature Apple's head of software development Craig Federighi noted in the WWDC keynote) although this can be turned off to allow updates.

A history of Apple's push notifications

With the opening the App Store in 2008's iOS 2.0, Apple's then head of iOS development Scott Forstall announced Apple would be setting up a centralized Push Notification Service as a mechanism for allowing apps to respond to updates from outside services without their needing to remain active in the background, constantly listening (and eating up battery power).

In addition to greatly lowering the iPhone's battery consumption compared to the prevailing background software model used by BlackBerry and Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Apple also used its new push notification system to power MobileMe's push messaging features.


iPhone's push notification service


Apple's overview of its push notification service.


However, Apple greatly underestimated the overwhelming demand for both apps and push notifications, sending the company back to the drawing board and delaying the rollout of Push notifications until iOS 3.0, after a stress testing beta program involving the Associated Press and other app developers.

In late 2009, Google, a major iOS developer, filed a patent for "notification of mobile device events," describing a feature it would later add to Android, albeit without a security model like Apple's. This resulted in both an adware/spam plague for Android users, but also bragging rights for Android enthusiasts who can now claim Apple simply copied its Notification Center from Android rather than having laid all the groundwork for touchscreen smartphones, a functional app store and secure, battery efficient notifications system.

In 2010, Apple brought push notifications to the Mac as an API, initially to support FaceTime notifications and then more broadly as a public API in 2011's OS X Lion.



Notification Center (above) appeared on the Mac as an end-user facing feature in OS X Mountain Lion last year (pictured above), after first making an appearance on Apple's mobile devices in iOS 5 the previous year.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 42
    japmjapm Posts: 36member
    That they call it [B]Safari 7[/B], is ridiculous.
  • Reply 2 of 42
    kjf77kjf77 Posts: 3member
    Anyone remember PointCast? Let's hope Apple gets it right.
  • Reply 3 of 42
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    japm wrote: »
    That they call it Safari 7, is ridiculous.

    It's the seventh version of Safari. :wow::err::???::\:rolleyes::no:

    You'd prefer Safari 5S?
  • Reply 4 of 42
    Dan_DilgerDan_Dilger Posts: 1,583member
    Safari is tremendously better, faster and smarter. Try it before you complain.
  • Reply 5 of 42
    kjf77kjf77 Posts: 3member


    Better than Google's Chrome!  Their version numbering is out of control  It's hard to find the latest version number listed on their site nowadays.  Probably changes by the hour.

  • Reply 6 of 42
    @kjf77 I do remember PointCast. Those people did some interesting things back in the day. Hated when it ended...
  • Reply 7 of 42
    I thought we already had web notifications in the current safari, never found a website that uses it though
  • Reply 8 of 42
    japmjapm Posts: 36member


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Corrections View Post



    Safari is tremendously better, faster and smarter. Try it before you complain.


     



    Yeah it's tremendously better to manage my giant bookmarks collection in a stupid little sidebar instead of the whole window.


     


    That's so smart.

  • Reply 9 of 42
    @kevinneal HTML5 notifications are different than push notifications. With HTML5 notifications, Safari had to remain open, with the website open in a tab. With push notifications, Safari doesn't have to be running and when you click a notification, it'll open the URL passed with it in whatever your default browser is.
  • Reply 10 of 42
    cyniccynic Posts: 124member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by japm View Post




     


    Yeah it's tremendously better to manage my giant bookmarks collection in a stupid little sidebar instead of the whole window.


     


    That's so smart.



     


    Well, I for one actually think that sidebar bookmarks are long overdue.


     


    Never liked managing bookmarks in this separate window, always takes you completely out of context every time you need to move bookmarks around.

  • Reply 11 of 42
    scophiscophi Posts: 1member
    "That they call it Safari 7, is ridiculous."

    Well, 7 does come after 6. Since we're at Safari 6 right now, what exactly would you call it?
  • Reply 12 of 42
    curtis hannahcurtis hannah Posts: 1,833member
    This seems like a replacement for having to actualy check a website. Do people really need do not disturb on a Mac, Can't they turn the darn thing off, takes 10 seconds or so.

    I get why during a meeting and so, but do that many people use it, and even more so, do those people need it.
  • Reply 13 of 42
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by japm View Post




     


    Yeah it's tremendously better to manage my giant bookmarks collection in a stupid little sidebar instead of the whole window.


     


    That's so smart.



     


    You should just stay off the Internet until you have something useful and meaningful to say, which appears likely to be never.

  • Reply 14 of 42
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by cynic View Post


     


    Well, I for one actually think that sidebar bookmarks are long overdue.


     


    Never liked managing bookmarks in this separate window, always takes you completely out of context every time you need to move bookmarks around.



     


    I've got a wild idea! Let the user do it both ways. It could even have a place to select which model the user prefers (they could even have a window where the user could decide which one they prefer and call it Preferences). I think I remember seeing something like this before in Mail, or was it iTunes, I know it was the Finder, naw maybe it was...


     


    Note to self: better trademark that term 'Preferences' before someone else claims it is too generic. 

  • Reply 15 of 42
    People still _manage_ bookmarks manually?
  • Reply 16 of 42
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by japm View Post


    Yeah it's tremendously better to manage my giant bookmarks collection in a stupid little sidebar instead of the whole window.


     


    That's so smart.



     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Adrian M View Post



    People still _manage_ bookmarks manually?


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post



    You should just stay off the Internet until you have something useful and meaningful to say, which appears likely to be never.


     


    @anonymouse:


     


    I guess that means me too since I prefer choice.

  • Reply 17 of 42
    japmjapm Posts: 36member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    You should just stay off the Internet until you have something useful and meaningful to say, which appears likely to be never.



     


    Hey anonymouse,


     


    This is the comments section of a Safari 7 article...


    ...and I made the comment that I don't like the changes to the bookmarks, because it cripples functionality that I need.


     


    Why exactly does that bother you?


     


    Why should I "stay off the internet" because of it?


     


    Isn't this the soul purpose of a comments section... to comment?


     


    You are basically telling me to shut up because you don't agree with me, which is not very "useful and meaningful" either.

  • Reply 18 of 42
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Chrome is a pile of bloat. WebKit 2 is already smoking from trunk since the Blink fork. So glad that happened.
  • Reply 19 of 42
    timmydaxtimmydax Posts: 284member
    Isn't it ironic how, despite the lauding of HTML etc. based apps on crapforms ("crap"'s similar enough to "plat" - WebOS, Windows whatever, Blackberry, Firefox: basically platforms with no developers), Apple not only spear-headed web apps but have given them great support in iOS and OS X.

    Ha.
  • Reply 20 of 42

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by japm View Post




     


    Yeah it's tremendously better to manage my giant bookmarks collection in a stupid little sidebar instead of the whole window.


     


    That's so smart.



     


    You're bookmarking it wrong

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