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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
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2019-07-26, 03:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by PKIDelirium View Post
They didn't have a business model before,
Not directly, but:
  • the browser market was different then. Chrome wasn't a thing, neither as a dominant force nor as a browser with an engine similar to Safari. You probably used IE or Firefox. There was a real (if long) shot at Safari becoming a third force.
  • The iPhone had just launched, and Apple wanted web developers to make their stuff compatible. Helps having a browser that behaves almost exactly like on the phone.

With Chrome out, the dominant browser is sufficiently similar that Safari doesn't have much of a shot, and Chrome is mostly good enough for testing if your site works on iPhone. (And if it doesn't, developers now increasingly blame Apple, regardless of whether that's fair.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by PKIDelirium View Post
they just chucked it out there (with the main source being a Safari/iTunes combo download) for free. I mean, it's lot like they can't afford to develop it new and still have it free again...
They could, but at best, it would provide a way to get your iCloud tabs on Windows. A bit like using Edge on iPhone.

…I guess that might be enough of a reason? I worry that they wouldn't really give it its due if they went that path.
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