Apple Safari 5.1

The previous version of Safari for Windows dramatically changed the nature of the browser from something of an unfinished curiosity to an alternative with seriously quick chops. It lacked many of the customization features that define most other browsers, but certain unique default features, such as the visually impressive, Cover Flow-inspired Top Sites and history viewing, made it worth checking out for more users besides just browser enthusiasts and jaded reviewers.

Though Safari 5 continues the push for speed, able to surpass (by some tests) bleeding-edge JavaScript engines from Google and Opera, Apple continues to place feature development farther down the totem pole of importance. That doesn't mean that new features have been ignored. There's the new Reader option that streamlines how you read articles, broader support for HTML5, default support for searches on Bing, and performance improvements. However, the biggest new feature of them all--Extensions--won't be available until later this summer according to Apple, and depending on what you're looking for in a browser, Safari can be seen as lacking many helpful options.

Installation and setup

Safari 5 is easy to install, although the time it takes to run the installer feels longer than its major alterna-browser competitors of Firefox, Chrome, and Opera. It updates using the Apple Software Updater, which may opt you in to other Windows-based Apple programs when it detects an update. Safari does not come with an uninstaller, and so it must be removed using the default Windows Add/Remove Programs tool or a third-party remover.

Interface

Safari's interface hasn't changed much from Safari 4. Navigation remains on top in this version, with Back and Forward buttons, the location bar, the search box, current page menu, and preferences menu. Whereas both Safari and Chrome are based on WebKit, Safari has opted to keep its tabs below the navigation bar and retain its brushed gray interface. It will look the same on Windows XP or Windows 7, since there's no real support for Aero Glass. In many ways, it's not as minimal as Chrome or Opera, and feels a bit older because of it.

The bookmarks bar appears by default just below the navigation bar, and on all but significantly older computers users should see links to show all bookmarks and show Top Sites on the left.

The status bar remains hidden by default, which would be acceptable if there was another way to view a link's URL before clicking on it. Chrome manages a small pop-up at the bottom of the browser, but since Safari doesn't, we recommend forcing the status bar to appear for safety reasons. It's never a good idea to click blindly on a link, and it's unfortunate that the default Safari encourages this behavior. The status bar can be forced to appear from the View option on the menu bar, which is also hidden by default. You can force show the menu bar at the top of the Preferences menu, or by hitting the Alt key.

Features and support

Safari 5 comes with a new way to look at paginated stories and galleries, some helpful lesser feature improvements, and the promise of Extensions. As noted earlier, though, Apple has decided to not include many options that Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, and even Safari's cousin Chrome have.

Performance

Safari's performance has definitely been improved, and it remains the browser's strongest selling point, in part because of the hardware acceleration (only in the Windows version, read more about hardware acceleration here) and DNS prefetching. Part of that is because of the improvements made to the Nitro JavaScript engine. 

On a Windows 7 x86, running on an Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 at 2.53GHz, with 3GB of RAM, Safari notched an average of 465.5 milliseconds over three cold-boot runs on the SunSpider JavaScript test. The current stable version of Chrome released today, version 5.0.375.70, scored 525.19 ms. The disparity between the Mac versions was far greater. On a Mac OS X 10.6.3, running on the same Intel chip as the Windows 7 computer but with 4GB of RAM, Safari 5 completed the SunSpider tests in 351.7 ms. Google Chrome took 498.67 ms. Though the developer's version of Chrome comes in at 356.9 ms on the Windows 7 computer, indicating that Safari's benchmarks can be not only achieved but surpassed, Safari's the only stable public version with these numbers.

Conclusion

Speed is important, but it's not the only judge of a good browser. With the exception of the unique Reader feature, Safari 5 does more to bring Apple's browser into line with other browsers than actually trailblazing, and even with the improvements made to this version, Safari still lacks many of the small but useful features competitors offer. For raw JavaScript speed, Safari is at the head of the pack for now, but Apple's focus on other user needs remains less than exemplary.