Apple Officially Releases Safari 4

On Monday June 8, Safari 4 finally came out of beta. In addition to several other enhancements, Apple has allegedly refined problems that users experienced with the beta. The most dramatic changes include a new interface and a new Javascript engine called Nitro. According to Apple’s claims, the Javascript performance has been upped by 50 percent, making the official version of Safari almost 8 times faster than Internet Explorer 8.

Many people will agree that the new look and feel of Safari is very similar to the other latest Web browser, Google Chrome. The unique curvature, black background, and reflective window bottom make this the most professional-looking browser on the market.

Users will also notice a slight modification in the progress indicator. Whereas Safari 3 displayed a blue bar that filled up as a page loaded, the new web browser does something slightly different. Safari 4 uses the small whirling circle that appears on the iPhone address bar, plus a solid indicator at the bottom of the page that says “Loading.” The latter indicator wasn’t part of the beta version, but instead was a last minute add-on due to user complaints.

The Top Sites feature, which was first introduced in beta, also appears on the Safari 4 interface. Top Sites displays your most commonly visited Web sites with a Cover Flow-style skin, which is basically a graphic way to browse your history and bookmarks. You can click the Edit button in the bottom left-hand corner to remove a site or to set it permanently in your Top Sites.

As the first non-beta browser to score 100/100 on the Acid test, Safari 4 is now a serious Web browser for serious Windows users, and its reputation among Mac users has certainly been bolstered. The completed version of the browser can now be downloaded from Apple’s website.