Safari 4 Beta Version Browser Released By Apple

Apple has just released its new Safari 4 beta version browser for Mac and Windows operating systems and on initial impressions it’s certainly worth getting excited about.

It has a new JavaScript engine they’ve called “Nitro” which will run JavaScript code a whopping 30 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and 3 times faster than Firefox 3 according to Apple.

So what else is special about it?

Safari 4 has a sexy new interface and Apple has also added around 150 new features although some of these are merely improvements to existing features.

Obviously there are far too many changes to mention individually but they include greater accessibility, advanced web technologies, built in RSS developer tools and improvements to browsing and navigation and more.

The changes to the tab system are likely to encourage more people to use tabs. Tucked away at the top of the browser window they are less in your face. You can rearrange their order or pull them into separate windows and there’s even a little button to click if you want to create a new tab.

One of the most striking features though is the default page displaying your ‘top sites’. Safari will record sites you have visited and constantly update your favourites on a ‘top sites’ window based on the pages you visit most often. You can choose how many thumbnails to display on the grid, 6, 12 or 24.

Don’t worry though if you disagree with Safari’s choice of what your top sites are, you can simply pin a site in the grid so that it keeps its position. The whole look of the page is quite impressive.

These top sites are freshly generated whenever you view the top sites window and if the sites are updated in real time you can see them updating as you watch. For other sites, if you’re wondering if there’s anything new since your last visit, no problem, sites with a star on the top right hand corner have new content.

You can navigate quickly and easily and minimise the number of clicks required to get you where you want to go. The search options are nothing short of amazing.

“Apple created Safari to bring innovation, speed and open standards back into web browsers, and today it takes another big step forward,” said Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller.

You can download both versions of the Safari 4 beta version on Apple’s website.

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