an Francisco: Apple is introducing a version of its Safari Internet browser for Windows, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said on Monday, taking on Microsoft in its key stronghold of Web access software.
The move by Apple, which has expanded beyond its Macintosh computer core with iPod media players and the upcoming iPhone, could let the company control how large numbers of people use the Web at a time when services and programs are increasingly Internet-based.
Jobs also said Apple would let outside developers create applications for the iPhone by tapping Safari, softening the company’s previous position that the device would not support other software due to security concerns.
But investors were disappointed that Jobs — known for his surprise announcements — did not have bigger news to unveil — and Apple shares sank nearly 3.5%, their biggest one-day fall in about four months.
Speaking at Apple’s annual developers’ conference in San Francisco, Jobs put Microsoft’s dominant Internet Explorer browser squarely in his sights, saying that test versions of the new Safari 3 were twice as fast at loading Web pages.
“We would love for Safari's market share to grow substantially,” Jobs said. Safari has 5% of the browser market compared to 78% for Internet Explorer.
A free test version of Safari 3 is available to the public now as a download and the final version will be available as a free download to users of both Mac OS X and Windows in October, the company said.
The focus on Safari sets the stage for a new browser war nearly a decade after Microsoft knocked off pioneering rival Netscape by including Internet Explorer for free in Windows.
Analysts said Apple clearly hopes to replicate its success in making a Windows version of its iTunes media program, a move that helped drive sales of its iPod media players as well as Mac computers. Soleil Equity Research analyst Shannon Cross said the availability of Safari on Windows would boost popularity of the software and encourage Web site creators to make their sites compatible with the browser.
“It should also help increase Apple’s exposure to the Windows community and potentially attract a larger audience of switchers,” Cross wrote in a research note. REUTERS |
0 comments:
Post a Comment