- Jun
- 11
Guess what browser I’m using to write this post? Usually it’s FireFox, but not today. No, no, I’m definitely not using IE, not even 7. Yes, that’s right, I’m using Safari…on windows!! How cool is that?! It even has OSX’s form controls, check boxes, and scroll bars!
Apple did double duty today at the WWDC by unveiling both the Safari 3 beta and OSX Leopard! Also, in a complete “DUH!” kind of moment, they revealed that 3rd party apps would be supported on the iPhone…through the web on Safari! Oh, and one more thing: they’ve launched a very elegant redesign of Apple.com.
I’m totally hyped about each of these announcements and the strange thing is, I don’t actually own a Mac…yet! The most excitement comes, for me, from the reveal of Leopard. The desktop now features an enhanced dock and taskbar that are less obtrusive than Tiger. The dock will actually reflect the contents of an open window when dragged close enough to the “floor”. A new feature, “stacks”, allow you to add several files or a group of applications into a single place on the dock and access them quickly by expanding the stack into an arc or grid depending on the number of items in the stack. Finder’s interface is now more like iTunes, with a few of the computer’s contents on the side and the files and folder in the main panel. They’ve also added Cover Flow as an available view type, which is very slick looking. Quick Look is a new feature that allows you to view files without actually opening the applications they are associated with, which is awesome. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clicked on something and had to wait for an application to load before realizing that I didn’t want to open that file, so Quick Look is something I’ve sorely needed. Time Machine and Spaces seem like the other two major features added to Leopard and certainly appear as though they’ll come in handy at improving workflow. Other enhancements to various applications seem pretty novel, although, since I don’t use a Mac currently, I don’t know how much of an improvement they are over Tiger.
It is my personal opinion that Leopard lays waste to anything Microsoft has done with Windows Vista. I’m completely done with Windows as soon as I can get my hands on a Mac Book Pro or Mac Pro tower. I have a feeling that more and more people are going to be feeling the same way soon.
Also, smart move making Safari available on Windows and especially pushing web applications as the means of putting 3rd part apps on the iPhone. I’m currently evaluating the beta (considering I got it, um, today) to see how it stacks up against FireFox. So far it’s been good to me, but it’s a little slow, probably due to debug code in the beta.
This is certainly shaping up to be an exciting year for computing and especially Apple. I just wish, wish, wish I had purchased some stock in Apple, like, 6 months ago, cause after iPhone in July and Leopard in October…damn.
