Inside Apple's iOS 5: Safari Reader, private browsing, tabs on iPad

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
When it's released by Apple this fall, iOS 5 will bring an improved Web browsing experience to iPhone and iPad users, offering new features in Safari like private browsing, Reader, and tabs on the iPad.



In the Settings application of iOS 5, Apple has added new options associated with the enhanced features of Safari. From there, in the "Privacy" section, users can flip a switch to enable "Private Browsing." As before, settings on cookies and the ability to clear a browsing history is also available.



Also in the Settings application is a new option that allows users to choose how links are opened. In the "Open Links" option, users can select between "In New Page" and "In Background."



From the Safari menu, users can choose the new "Add to Reading List" option, sandwiched between "Add Bookmark" and "Add to Home Screen." Once an article has been added to Reader, an icon shows up in the URL bar. Selecting the Reader icon then displays the text.



Content viewed in Safari Reader is stripped of extra images, formatting and advertisements. It is presented with black text on a white background, and the font size can be quickly increased or decreased. The appearance of text in Reader is similar to iBooks.











Integration with Apple's new iCloud service will keep the list of content in Reader updated across all devices.



The address bar in Safari also spots a new, subtle fade effect where a URL meets the stop or refresh button to its right. This replaces the ellipses that are used in iOS 4, and can create confusing by utilizing periods that are not a part of the URL.







On the iPad, Safari has received even more enhancements designed to take advantage of the larger 9.7-inch screen size of Apple's touchscreen tablet. Like on the iPhone, settings are available for private browsing and how new links are opened. Users can also disable



Holding down a link with one's fingertip pulls up the standard drop-down menu, with new options to open a link in a new tab or add the page to the Safari Reading List. Those same options can also be selected for an open page on the Safari menu bar.











The Reading List is available under the Bookmarks selection. From here, users can choose to view all items that have been added to the Reading List, or just unread stories. This menu can also be used to add or remove items from the Reading List.







Tabs appear listed under the browser controls, URL bar and search box. When just one page is open, it is presented as one large tab with the page title, if "Always Show Bookmarks Bar" is turned on. As new tabs are opened, they are placed to the right. Active tabs can be closed by tapping an 'X' on the left side of the tab.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    smiles77smiles77 Posts: 668member
    The new on/off buttons remind me of the iPad's mute switch/orientation lock button. Similar to the iPod Shuffle's button selector as well. Interesting that they're moving away from their old design, but I like the new one. Looks less "fat".
  • Reply 2 of 21
    paulmjohnsonpaulmjohnson Posts: 1,380member
    Do you know if adding something to the reading list makes it available to read offline?



    I hope so - would be great to be able to stack up articles before getting on a plane.
  • Reply 3 of 21
    gprovidagprovida Posts: 258member
    Anything like Filevault 2 etc for system and APIs for app developers. Will encryption or password encoding of iWorks or reading exporting password encrypted PDFs of Office docs, SS, and ppTs?
  • Reply 4 of 21
    jonamacjonamac Posts: 388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


    Do you know if adding something to the reading list makes it available to read offline?



    I hope so - would be great to be able to stack up articles before getting on a plane.



    I want to know this too. Can't believe Apple didn't say.
  • Reply 5 of 21
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member
    All welcome additions, but I would actually have liked to see:



    - A fullscreen mode

    - Support for "contenteditable" (our Intranet portal uses inline editors like FCKeditor or TinyMCE, and they just do not work on any iOS device yet)



    I would really love to hear some details about the new music player app on the iPad. It looks much better, and I would really love to know, if I can now initiate a song without being kicked into a full screen cover view. Believe it or not, this is what annoys me most about the entire iPad (well, besides document sync via iTunes, but that is well-covered it seems).
  • Reply 6 of 21
    hotboyzzhotboyzz Posts: 6member
    There is a jailbreak that does this already.....

    Come on Steve.....
  • Reply 7 of 21
    jcozjcoz Posts: 251member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jonamac View Post


    I want to know this too. Can't believe Apple didn't say.



    Pretty sure they did say, and that it would be available offline.
  • Reply 8 of 21
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jcoz View Post


    Pretty sure they did say, and that it would be available offline.



    Yeah, you have to watch the keynote video carefully. I believe it showed up as an option. They just didn't really point it out.
  • Reply 9 of 21
    8corewhore8corewhore Posts: 833member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


    Do you know if adding something to the reading list makes it available to read offline?



    I hope so - would be great to be able to stack up articles before getting on a plane.



    I just tried it for Mac and the article was NOT available off-line.



    Get Instapaper -- it's supports off-line reading and is generally awesome.



    http://www.instapaper.com/iphone



    I have nothing to do with the developer in any way shape or form.
  • Reply 10 of 21
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore View Post


    I just tried it for Mac and the article was NOT available off-line.



    Get Instapaper -- it's supports off-line reading and is generally awesome.



    http://www.instapaper.com/iphone



    I have nothing to do with the developer in any way shape or form.



    The Keynote said it will support offline.
  • Reply 11 of 21
    nofear1aznofear1az Posts: 209member
    I can't believe the tabbed browsing will only be available on the iPad but I understand why they did it that way it's just irritating they don't allow us to have options. I've used tabbed browsing with other different browsers on my iPhone with no problems. darn it



    on a side note, wish they would put the brightness control on the iphone in the double-click app manager just like it is on the iPad. I hate having to go into Settings all the time just to change the brightness.



    Either make iOS work the same in all iDevices or give us our own options to choose what we want or don't, stop tweaking it depending on the device it's on. I remember Apple taking away (then giving it back thru an option) the lock orientation button so that it mimics the functionality of the iPhone/Touch as a mute button but yet they keep the brightness control on the iPad but not iPhone/Touch. Now it will be tabs. Be consistent at least and if you say one thing then do it for all across the board on all iOS devices.
  • Reply 12 of 21
    christopher126christopher126 Posts: 4,366member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


    Do you know if adding something to the reading list makes it available to read offline?



    I hope so - would be great to be able to stack up articles before getting on a plane.



    I thought the same thing. Would be brilliant if it does. I tag a lot of material to save for reading later...the only time I really can do that is on a plane!
  • Reply 13 of 21
    paulmjohnsonpaulmjohnson Posts: 1,380member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore View Post


    I just tried it for Mac and the article was NOT available off-line.



    Get Instapaper -- it's supports off-line reading and is generally awesome.



    http://www.instapaper.com/iphone



    I have nothing to do with the developer in any way shape or form.



    I see others have confirmed that iOS5 will support off-line reading, but I wanted to say thanks for sending me that link - that will be a great tool to use until iOS5 is released.
  • Reply 14 of 21
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member
    I've heard people say that the cellcos were probably feeling pretty blind-sided by iMessages highly likely to hit their SMS revenue stream, and that some ISV's saw key aspects of their programs being integrated into iOS (reminiscent of Konquistador and its widgets and Watson/Sherlock, btw)...



    ...But what I haven't seen pointed out is how Reader turns mobile Safari into a kind of print DVR, ala the early days of TIVO - bypassing all of the ads (a function they were forced to modify) - making Reader a direct deprecation and attack on the value of Google's ads on web pages!



    You can bet Google noticed, though.....



    Note: you can get a very similar function on several PC browsers (Firefox, Chrome and Safari) through the Readability add-on, tho' given a big monitor I seldom invoke the reload required.
  • Reply 15 of 21
    christopher126christopher126 Posts: 4,366member
    A little off Topic...don't know why I want this, but here is the link to the lion wallpaper used in the Keynote...looks cool to me.



    http://osxdaily.com/2011/06/06/mac-o...ace-wallpaper/





    http://i.imgur.com/Uwy8J.jpg





    Best
  • Reply 16 of 21
    bedouinbedouin Posts: 331member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nofear1az View Post


    I can't believe the tabbed browsing will only be available on the iPad but I understand why they did it that way it's just irritating they don't allow us to have options.



    iCab to the rescue.



    Wondering if DuckDuckGo has been added to the search engines list, which I'm preferring instead of Google nowadays.
  • Reply 17 of 21
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    dont care so much about tabs, I actually prefer more screen space and the visual look of tabs in the current version. Reader on the other hand is one of the best features on desktop browsers, and I predict I will use it just as much if not more on my mobile browser, especially the ipad. So long as advertisers dont catch drift that their ads disappear using this feature I think we will be fine.
  • Reply 18 of 21
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


    Do you know if adding something to the reading list makes it available to read offline?



    I hope so - would be great to be able to stack up articles before getting on a plane.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jcoz View Post


    Pretty sure they did say, and that it would be available offline.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mister Snitch View Post


    Yeah, you have to watch the keynote video carefully. I believe it showed up as an option. They just didn't really point it out.



    That would be a great feature, including saving Reader as a document for off-line viewing, but this is not possible with iOS 5.0 beta 1.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post


    The Keynote said it will support offline.



    I just watched Scott's presentation of Safari on iOS. I noticed nothing about off-line viewing.
  • Reply 19 of 21
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I just watched Scott's presentation of Safari on iOS. I noticed nothing about off-line viewing.



    You're right. They just said saved it for later. Somehow that made me thinking of Read It Later and get confused.

    If it doesn't have offline capability then what's the point? I'm still convinced, maybe wrongly, it will have the ability but you just need iCloud (full version). Noticed when Scott demonstrated sending it via email now you got both the link and the content.
  • Reply 20 of 21
    acdanaacdana Posts: 2member
    No one has mentioned the new find in web page feature. Am i missing something? Was it already there in previous versions? When im in Safari at a web site and i click on the search field in the upper right, (ie the Google,Yahoo,Bing field), the keyboard pops up but it has an extra option called Find In Page. It lets me enter text and hit Search and it finds occurences in the page. I have an Ipad 2.
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