Apple rumored to debut Safari 5 with Reader, Bing at WWDC
Newly revealed documents suggest that Apple could launch Safari 5 with a new "Reader" feature, the addition of Bing search support and expanded HTML5 support. In addition, evidence of the final release of Mac OS X 10.6.4 has also surfaced [Update: Xcode 4, too].
French website MacGeneration reported Saturday images of new English-language support documents alleged to be from Apple, containing a list of features in Safari 5. It suggests the software update will include 25 percent faster JavaScript performance than Safari 4 and DNS prefetching to speed up browsing.
The document also mentions a new feature, Safari Reader, which adds a Reader icon to the browser and allows users to view articles "in a single, clutter-free page."
Expanded HTML5 support will reportedly add over a dozen new features, including Geolocation, full screen and closed captions for HTML5 video, and more. The update will also allegedly feature new tools that aim to help developers, including a Timeline Panel in the Web Inspector, identifying areas for optimization.
Other features mentioned in the documents include smarter address fields, hardware acceleration for Safari on Windows, search history with date, a "Private Browsing" icon, and improved page caching.
Safari 4 was released just less than a year ago, on June 8, 2009. Apple dubbed it the "world's fastest browser," saying it ran JavaScript 4.5 times faster than its predecessor. It is available for both Mac and Windows.
MacGeneration also reported Saturday that Mac OS X 10.6.4 will see release from Apple this week. The site also had a screenshot of a list of features from an English-language document. It features the same list of improvements that have been seen in the beta builds of the Snow Leopard operating system seeded by Apple to developers.
The update will allegedly resolve an issue that causes the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive, fix a problem that prevented Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening, and addresses a playback issue in DVD Player when using Good Quality deinterlacing, among other fixes.
Update: Finally, MacRumors reported Saturday that it has heard that new version of Xcode, version 4, will be shown off this week. Xcode is the suite of tools used to develop software for Mac OS X.
French website MacGeneration reported Saturday images of new English-language support documents alleged to be from Apple, containing a list of features in Safari 5. It suggests the software update will include 25 percent faster JavaScript performance than Safari 4 and DNS prefetching to speed up browsing.
The document also mentions a new feature, Safari Reader, which adds a Reader icon to the browser and allows users to view articles "in a single, clutter-free page."
Expanded HTML5 support will reportedly add over a dozen new features, including Geolocation, full screen and closed captions for HTML5 video, and more. The update will also allegedly feature new tools that aim to help developers, including a Timeline Panel in the Web Inspector, identifying areas for optimization.
Other features mentioned in the documents include smarter address fields, hardware acceleration for Safari on Windows, search history with date, a "Private Browsing" icon, and improved page caching.
Safari 4 was released just less than a year ago, on June 8, 2009. Apple dubbed it the "world's fastest browser," saying it ran JavaScript 4.5 times faster than its predecessor. It is available for both Mac and Windows.
MacGeneration also reported Saturday that Mac OS X 10.6.4 will see release from Apple this week. The site also had a screenshot of a list of features from an English-language document. It features the same list of improvements that have been seen in the beta builds of the Snow Leopard operating system seeded by Apple to developers.
The update will allegedly resolve an issue that causes the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive, fix a problem that prevented Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening, and addresses a playback issue in DVD Player when using Good Quality deinterlacing, among other fixes.
Update: Finally, MacRumors reported Saturday that it has heard that new version of Xcode, version 4, will be shown off this week. Xcode is the suite of tools used to develop software for Mac OS X.
Comments
but what about a new mobile safari?
Remember when lack of a decent web browser dominated discussions on mac related forums? IE had been left to languish, firefox wasn't yet on the scene, and the few other alternatives weren't terribly compatible. With nearly everyone grudgingly using IE, performance was a HUGE issue. Simple scrolling and window resizing were actually benchmarks that people debated endlessly.
Now though, it seems that web browsing has progressed to such a point that it is no longer an interesting topic for discussion. Or perhaps just that it is no longer one of the most interesting topics. Instead, we've moved on to discuss other things; like flash, web video standards, etc.
I'm betting this thread doesn't get too many comments...
The document also mentions a new feature, Safari Reader, which adds a Reader icon to the browser and allows users to view articles "in a single, clutter-free page."
Isn't this already a feature in Safari? I ws pretty sure it made a pretty decent RSS reader. It was one of the major features of some version. I do not remember which one, but I do know they made a big deal out of it.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for Microsoft, who's idea of leading the way is stealing from others, or do the bare minimum to save face.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Microsoft hater, or an Apple Fanboy. It just seems Microsoft are really dragging their feet here, and they don't seem to care.
Jobs replied to me on that 3 months ago saying:
:-)
For some reason, this article brought back some old memories...
Remember when lack of a decent web browser dominated discussions on mac related forums? IE had been left to languish, firefox wasn't yet on the scene, and the few other alternatives weren't terribly compatible. With nearly everyone grudgingly using IE, performance was a HUGE issue. Simple scrolling and window resizing were actually benchmarks that people debated endlessly.
Now though, it seems that web browsing has progressed to such a point that it is no longer an interesting topic for discussion. Or perhaps just that it is no longer one of the most interesting topics. Instead, we've moved on to discuss other things; like flash, web video standards, etc.
I'm betting this thread doesn't get too many comments...
I agree. However, I've gotten to the same point with processor performance on my MacBook Pro. I have a mid-2009 13" MacBook Pro with a 2.26GHz processor and it's plenty fast. I thought about upgrading to the latest generation but said to myself, "YOU FOOL!"
I use my MacBook for word processing (I spend all day typing), spreadsheet stuff, internet, light Photoshop work, email, etc. That's about it. What the hell do I need a faster processor for?
I'll probably be sticking with this machine for a looooooooooong time.
Isn't this already a feature in Safari? I ws pretty sure it made a pretty decent RSS reader. It was one of the major features of some version. I do not remember which one, but I do know they made a big deal out of it.
yes it is ... and there is already an icon to push in the url window. I will be interested to see improvements. perhaps it will be split view similar to many ipad apps. so feed headlines on left and feed articles appear on right as you click.
Isn't this already a feature in Safari? I ws pretty sure it made a pretty decent RSS reader. It was one of the major features of some version. I do not remember which one, but I do know they made a big deal out of it.
"Click on the new Reader icon to view articles on the web in a single, clutter-free page."
Maybe it's just me, but I think this sounds more like a description for Readability (or other so-called "mobilizer" services), which would make even more sense for Mobile Safari.
(Greetings to the forum members, by the way, from a long-time reader / first-time poster.)
For some reason, this article brought back some old memories...
I agree. Gone are the days when "Windows IE only" websites were the norm. It's literally been years since I have run into a web site that doesn't work with Safari Mac. Firefox and Chrome sit idly on my system as plan B browsers if something doesn't work. But so far no issues anywhere for me. Oh sure, there have to be a few sites out there that still code and test for IE only but they either don't care or don't know.
Meanwhile, my employer (a Fortune 50 giant) is still on XP and IE 6 with no signs of an upgrade on the horizon. When I do go "out" on the internet IE 6 has problems rendering a LOT of sites and constant pop-ups stating the site no longer supports IE 6 and encouraging an upgrade.
One thing I dislike about Safari in general is that there is no button by the address bar to click to make the browser go to the address. I must always use the return button on the keyboard. What is so difficult about adding a button on the address bar? When I copy and paste an address into the address bar I must move from my relaxed comfy chair seated position and grab the keyboard to press return.
Another Safari dislike is the size of the bookmarks section. I wish the whole thing had much bigger text with lines a little bit farther apart which would make them easier to read and click. I'd also like to quickly arrange my bookmarks alphabetically instead of needing to drag and drop them into place.
I wonder if Safari 5 will allow people using Leopard (10.5.8) to view all of their HTML 5 demonstration videos. Safari 4 with Leopard didn't work with the VR demo.
I won't be downloading Safari 5 until I hear plenty of positive comments. I wish I had not downloaded Safari 4.
Can you imagine the buzz surrounding any BIG announcement - should Apple ever be able to do so, without any leaks. Hell it would 6 o'clock news!
Skip
If Safari 5.0 is intro'd then it better be more than under the hood features. Safari needs a make-over and lessons from FireFox, IE9, and Chrome on design.
Please please NO. I like having choice. Safari is, for me, the best browser just because it is only a browser and I don't have to do anything to it, like add plugins, etc. to get what I need. Apple has made those design choices for me and made them well. All I have to do is choose the browser. Why does everyone want everything to be the same. To me Apple is the one providing choice to the end user by not making the end user a designer.
And its not that I'm not a 'POWER USER' as I write all manner of software in PHP, Python, Javascript, OBJ-C, C++, etc., etc. I just don't need the choices (and problems) that come with a browser like Firefox.