A lot of Mac users are unaware of the excellent overhaul Apple has given to the resident MAC OS Internet browser, Safari. For the longest time, Mac users have turned to third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox, as Safari simply was not up to the mark.
With Yosemite, Apple has upped its game and it’s safe to say that Safari can now compete with the rest of the big boys. What is so special about it you ask? Let’s take a peek.
Better performance
While a term like ‘better performance’ can often seem rather vague, Apple has defied the odds by making Safari considerably faster, not just from its previous version, but even when compared to other market leaders.
A majority of websites, especially interactive ones, incorporate JavaScript for optimal user experience, and by upgrading its WebKit browser engine to better handle JavaScript processing, Apple has greatly reduced the speed at which sites load in Safari.
They have also incorporated new energy- saving techniques that allow for longer battery life. This means that if you are browsing using Safari then you can do so for much longer than if you were to use another Internet browser. Faster loading times, slow battery consumption – what’s not to like?
Best for reading
If you are someone who likes to read online, then Safari just might be the right browser for you. Two of its features in particular, will appeal a lot to avid readers- features which you can only get in a browser like Chrome by installing extensions and as many of us know by now, more extensions means more memory usage. Safari however, makes the job easier with its built-in features.
The first feature of note is the excellent Reader view that can be enabled by clicking on the 4 lines present to the left of the address bar. Once clicked, the browser presents an article or a webpage in an easy to read textual format minus all the ads, banners and other intrusive elements that might be present on the page.
It essentially strips the page of everything except the main body of text. You can snap out of this mode and back to the regular web page by pressing escape or by clicking the Reader View button again.
Often we come across articles that we are interested in reading but can’t, due to a lack of time at that precise moment. In such a case. we either bookmark these articles or save them elsewhere, most likely to forget all about them later. Besides, bookmarking a lot of things can soon result in a cluttered list that can make one’s head spin.
Apple has made this task easier by incorporating a Reading List feature in Safari. A temporary place for you to save links you might be curious about. The Safari Reading List sits in your sidebar and can be opened up by pressing Command+shift+L or by simply clicking the ‘Show Sidebar’ button on the top bar.
To add a web page to your Reading List, you simply mouse over to the left of the address bar till you see a ‘+’ button appear. Click on it and the said web page will be added to your reading list. Now you can access the link later, when you have time to go through it.
In the second part of this article, I’ll cover more great features of Safari.
~ Yogesh
One thought on “4 Reasons To Start Using Safari Right Now!”