I don’t think anyone was really expecting to see a new release of Apple’s Safari browser today, but it has dropped down the tubes for all to enjoy. Apple is once again boasting the performance of the browser when stacked up against the other mainstream alternatives, and according to them Safari comes out well on top in terms of HTML performance and JavaScript performance.
As you may recall we recently put many of the different browser up against Apple’s SunSpider JavaScript test, and Firefox 3 pre-release builds topped the charts. At the time though we didn’t test it against pre-release versions of Safari 3.1, and so we thought that we would do that now. Here are some of our past results intermingled with the newest versions of the browsers (the lower amount of time is better):
- Firefox 3 Beta 4: 6972.2ms
- Safari 3.1: 7411.8ms
- Opera 9.5.9807 Beta: 10824.0ms
- Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1: 14302.0ms
- Safari 3.0.4 Beta: 18012.6ms
- Firefox 2.0.0.12: 29376.4ms
- Internet Explorer 7: 72375.0ms
Note: All tests were performed on the same Windows machine.
Apple definitely holds the performance crown when comparing it to other released browsers, but once Firefox 3 makes its way out there will be a new king of the hill. So if you were developing a lengthy diabolical plan as to how you were going to switch from Firefox to Safari you might want to hold off if performance was the sole deciding factor.
As far as the Acid 3 test goes Safari 3.1 scores a 75/100, which isn’t quite as good as the nightly builds demonstrated when we last tested it. It’s still the closest a browser comes to passing the test though.
I haven’t noticed any new features in Safari 3.1, and so if you find something I would love to know about it. I do have to say it does feel pretty snappy though when it comes to loading pages. I might have to whip up some more comparisons between the browsers available.
Download Safari 3.1 (Mac or Windows)
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Tags: Freeware, Newly Released, Software, Apple, Comparison, Performance, Safari
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Firefox 3.0 Beta 4 is still on top with the javascript test…excellent!
One new feature in Safari (that I’ve been waiting for!) is that you can now double-click the tab bar to open a new tab.
Now Opera (the latest snapshot) takes 77 out of 100 in ACID3
Just barely though.
I think the Safari nightly builds are beating out Firefox.
Surprised it took them that long to add that. I’ve never used the browser enough to notice that it lacked being able to double-click on the tab bar.
Nice!
Too bad it’s so ugly. When will Apple get it through their heads that Windows applications should use the Windows style and not OS X. Last time I tried this it was junk anyway, I’ll stick with Firefox.
It seems a bit faster but still not that great. Also did my previous comment get removed because I said I didn’t like it?
Speed is one thing but usability and the ability to customize the browser is another. While the speed may be nice, it’s not enough to get me to consider a switch. For me it’s FF3 all the way with Opera for a backup.
The looks is definitely a killer for me, but I think Apple is trying to push their design practices into Windows machines. That’s what they’ve done with iTunes, and it will give people a more comfortable feeling if they ever get on the verge of switching to Mac OS X.
Nope, you’re comment is still there. There may have been a caching delay before your comment appeared, but it shouldn’t have been very long.
I do enjoy the customizability of a browser, but performance is extremely important to me. I’m just glad that Firefox 3 is so close to the performance of Safari otherwise I would be really tempted to switch.
off topic. what happened, no posts in 2 days. i hope everything is ok
Got it downloaded. Don’t see any visible speed improvements, but always good to have the latest.
We’ve still been posting every day. Is something not showing up for you?
True that. I have it downloaded on one of my machines, but it sees very little run time.
I’ve been on Safari’s pages. What amazes me is that it looks like Apple doesn’t take into consideration that Windows is a different context, that many users know IE and/or FF and/or Opera, mainly because these browsers (particularly the first two) handle fundamental aspects of a browser with common references concerning RAM, cookies, caches, history … Apple has always given me the feeling that it was either devoted to geeks either devoted to silence.
I’m not going to start a new browser when it seems so tough to find answers on what nowadays is the basis of Internet browsing security : cookies, history, caches.
Basivally, Apple communicates even worse than Microsoft. What I like with Firefox, after its qualities, is the community, the information, aimed at and accessible by all, and not only techies!
Firefox’s community is definitely one of a kind, and you can find help for almost anything out there. That’s one of the reasons I use it, too.
You should include the latest WebKit nightly builds!
WebKit (Mar 22th): 3515.2ms +/- 2.6%
FireFox (3b4): 4066.6ms +/- 6.4%
Both tested on a MacBook Pro latest rev.
In accordance with the WebKit Blog (Surfin Safari) WebKit has almost passed the Acid3 Test (95/100)
firefox RULES!