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Screencast: First look at Safari for Windows

You've probably heard by now that Apple has released the Safari web browser for Windows XP and Vista. Apple will eventually bundle the browser with iTunes and Quicktime, but you can already download a beta version of the application.

So we decided to take it for a spin.

On the one hand, competition in the web browser market is always good news. Safari is a fully functional, fast, and attractive web browser that's been available to Mac users for some time. Does it have anything special to attract Windows users? Right now it's hard to say.

One funny thing Mac users often complain that Windows programs ported to the Mac don't look and feel like Mac applications. Safari for Windows looks and feels like a Mac application. Some of the buttons aren't intuitive. That plus button at the top of the screen? It adds bookmarks, while Firefox users might thing it would open a new tab. And the only way to resize a window is by clicking on the lower right corner of the browser.

It should be interesting to see if Safari gets a graphics overhaul or any new features before the final version is released.

Edit: Toward the end of the screencast, I mention that Apple plans to bundle Safari with iTunes. It's not clear at the moment if this is just a rumor. During his presentation, Steve Jobs responded preemptively to any criticism that Apple doesn't know how to market to Windows users by pointing out that iTunes has been downloaded to over half a billion Windows machines. This may mean that Apple will use iTunes to spread the word about Safari. Or it may just be an example.

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