Apple's New Safari Technology Preview Browser Is Aimed At Web Developers

Sarah Perez reports for TechCrunch: Apple today announced it's expanding its efforts in the area of web development, with the launch of a new version of its Safari web browser, designed specifically for developers. Called Safari Technology Preview, the company says this browser will allow developers to get an early look at upcoming web technologies in OS X and iOS, including things like the latest layout technologies, visual effects, and other developer tools. The idea is to allow developers to more easily get their hands on these technologies and be able to experiment, then offer feedback to Apple earlier on so the company can make the necessary improvements. AnandTech's Brandon Chester elaborates: It's available from Apple's developer website, and updates will come every two weeks via the Mac App Store. This makes the list of changes and additions easily accessible with each update, and because the builds are signed by Apple there's full support for iCloud integration. [...] One important thing to note about the Safari Technology Preview is that, while the app is available from Apple's developer site, you don't need to be a registered developer paying the yearly iOS and OS X publishing fee to access it. Since the target audience consists mainly of programmers building websites and web applications, it doesn't make sense to limit it to developers building native apps for iOS and OS X.

Comments

Way to catch up to 2008

[Anonymous Coward]

Congrats, Apple! Once again, you're last to the finish line with another browser-related spec/feature/idea. You got a lot of devs hooked on HTML5 to push your iPhone OS and its underspecced and overexposed JS/CSS features, and now you're holding the web back while trying to pretend you give a toss about it anymore.

Re:Way to catch up to 2008

[Anonymous Coward]

Yea damn Apple, always finishing last when it comes to browsers...

1) First phone with a usable web browser, instead of the existing WAP mobile crap.
2) #1 In actual mobile web usage by a wide margin (vs deployed devices used primary as dumb/feature phones)
3) Maintained (and wrote a good chunk of) WebKit which basically every decent browser is forked from today, save Firefox.

But yea, always last to the finish line. Troll harder for the ad network you cheerlead for.

Re: Way to catch up to 2008

[Karlt1]

You could always download the WebKit Nightlies. This just makes it easier.

Re: Way to catch up to 2008

[Anonymous Coward]

I would agree if the nightlies were the same thing.

Re:Way to catch up to 2008

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget that their refusal to support Flash on the iPhone was clearly the tipping point for the end of Flash.

Re: Way to catch up to 2008

[tdknox]

You could always download the WebKit Nightlies. This just makes it easier.

These installs are also signed by Apple, as opposed to the nightlies. What that means for the end user is that things that they expect to work, like iCloud syncing for example, will continue to work while using the technology preview. They would not work if running the nightlies. Updates to the technology preview will also come every 2 weeks via the App Store, so the user doesn't have to remember to download new technology preview builds.

Re:Way to catch up to 2008

[myid]

Congrats, Apple! Once again, you're last to the finish line with another browser-related spec/feature/idea.

Safari was the first browser to pass the Acid2 and Acid3 tests. But more recently, Safari fell behind the other browsers in the HTML5 tests. I'm glad Apple is working on Safari again.

Nice enough, but one caveat

[Anonymous Coward]

With good reason, the build uses its own cache, recent lists and cookies. So you'll have to log into everything again (your passwords are still in the keychain so it's not a problem) and do some basic setup and plugin install. Other than that, seems fast, stable and working.

Re:Nice enough, but one caveat

[Maury Markowitz]

And I forgot to do that login before posting that. And then installed AdBlock.

Since then I've had a single page reload - with that exception it's been very fast to use.

Re:Nice enough, but one caveat

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

You still install browser plug-ins, on OS X, in 2016?

Re:Nice enough, but one caveat

[Anonymous Coward]

What do you recommend instead of AdBlock for Safari on OS X?

Re:Nice enough, but one caveat

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

Last time I tried AdBlock for Safari the damn thing was using twice as much RAM as the browser usually does.

Re:Nice enough, but one caveat

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you using something else now, or moved on from Safari?

Re:Nice enough, but one caveat

[cerberusss]

It's different now. By default, it uses Safari's in-built content blocker.

Re:Nice enough, but one caveat

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

Still using Safari, no Ad blocker. But I also don't have Java, Flash or Adobe Reader installed on my system.

Standards compliant?

[mwvdlee]

Does this mean they're finally up to standards compliance again, instead of being the IE6 of this decade?

Re:Standards compliant?

[hardtofindanick]

How are you seeing that? Looks to me like Safari is still ahead. http://caniuse.com/#compare=ed...

Re:Standards compliant?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, I was thinking like Flash but more annoying.

Re:Standards compliant?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pay attention to how quickly Edge has progressed compared to Safari, and it's a pretty different picture. Safari hasn't even kept up with Firefox, let alone Chrome, and yet the distant last browser is about to catch up and surpass it. That's pretty sad, even if people around here don't seem to mind. It's triply awful when you consider how slowly Safari gets deployed to actual devices.

Is this what's killing my iPhone?

[WillAffleckUW]

Just wondering. iOS 9.2 and 9.3 are crashing.

Results matter.

Re:Is this what's killing my iPhone?

[sims 2]

NINAB There is really no good reason why I shouldn't be able to install any compatible ios version. Have you tried ios 6 7 8 or 9.1?

Safari on Windows?

[zarmanto]

... Since the target audience consists mainly of programmers building websites and web applications, it doesn't make sense to limit it to developers building native apps for iOS and OS X. ...

Another limitation which has been a source of annoyance for me personally is that desktop Safari is exclusively available on the Mac. There was a time when a fully supported version of Safari for Windows existed... that has since been discontinued. So here's to hoping that this Tech Preview version also manages to properly resurrect Safari on Windows.

(Note that I'm a MacHead at home, who is forced into the Windows mold at work... and I'm quite certain that many other MacHeads share my fate. There is, of course, a lengthy method for installing Webkit nightly builds under Windows... for those who are extremely dedicated. Unfortunately, that method has the proverbial snowball's chance in hell of making it past the corporate software approval processes... for those of us who just want it, rather then need it for business purposes.)

Re:Safari on Windows?

[mrbester]

Given the absolute abortion that was Safari on Windows, I for one don't want it back. Even dealing with IE's idiosyncratic bullshit was more fun than debugging that panful of arse gravy.

Re:Safari on Windows?

[jeremyp]

Nobody used Safari on Windows. It was nowhere near as good as Chrome even though (at the time) it used the same rendering engine.

Any WebRTC support?

[Art Challenor]

Does the preview support any of the WebRTC functions, particularly the getUserMedia allowing access to the webcam from HTML5?

Re:Any WebRTC support?

[Sebby]

Check the status page

Re:Any WebRTC support?

[Art Challenor]

Thanks. Lists it as "In Development". So there's some hope, even "Duke Nukem Forever" made it eventually!

As a dev: Safari doesn't exist.

[Anonymous Coward]

The only browsers that exist are the ones I can install on Linux or Windows.

This has worked out amazingly well for me, as you can also install the browsers available on Linux onto Mac or BSD.

Additionally, on the off chance you can't install a browser that runs on Linux or Windows on your OS, then you can install Linux or Windows on that system and solve the issue.

As soon as Apple lets me run Safari or even OSX on my expensive hardware (superior to anything they currently sell), then I'll give a shit about their niche of a niche web browsers.

Re:As a dev: Safari doesn't exist.

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

That's funny, because as a dev working on OS X, a browser that only exists on Windows and/or Linux doesn't exist either.

Fuck you Internet Explorer, fuck you Edge.

Re:As a dev: Safari doesn't exist.

[Just Some Guy]

As soon as Apple lets me run Safari or even OSX on my expensive hardware (superior to anything they currently sell), then I'll give a shit about their niche of a niche web browsers.

First off, we both know you're making this up. Second, on mobile Safari accounts for a fourth of all browser usage and is second only to Chrome (at about one third of all traffic). Any dev who ignores Safari - and therefore the most profitable mobile platform - in 2016 would soon find themselves unemployed.

Re:As a dev: Safari doesn't exist.

[mrbester]

Chrome on iOS is Safari with a different skin. So is Opera and Firefox. Because they are all using the same WebKit under the hood, that is what is reported in stats.

Re: As a dev: Safari doesn't exist.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why is this modded down?

As a web dev, I can tell you there are only two browsers: Chrome and Internet Explorer. No other browsers matter.

You develop in Chrome, then test in IE until everything works. No one cares if it doesn't work in Safari (it probably will if it does in Chrome) or Firefox (no one cares about Firefox at all, certainly not Mozilla).

Early April Fools?

[Anonymous Coward]

Obligatory pre-April joke.

But can you click on links?

[Anonymous Coward]

But does this version of Safari still support the old method of visiting webpages via clicking on links or does it support the new iOS 9.3 technique of clicking on links not working and long pressing links flat out crashing the browser?

So is there any chance for language preferences?

[shanen]

So does this mean Safari will start honoring browser-level language preferences?
Honest, I'm trying to do things the Apple way and enjoy the so-called Tao, but the latest nuisance of language preferences is really annoying me. Just because I live in a country doesn't mean that the local language is my first preference.

The latest in apple web technology

[malditaenvidia]

It comes integrated with the latest in avant-guarde adblocking technology right from the OEM: whenever you click a link, the whole phone freezes. Apple again proves that they're at the cutting edge of ergonomics and interactivity by proving that the only winning move is not to play.
It sure feels good to think different.

Sent from my iPhone