Appletell

When Google Chrome Beta 1 was released earlier this week, Mac users were shocked by the fact that it was Windows-only. Google, with a reputation for creating their apps for all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux), had not yet released a Mac version of their web browser. In an interview with BoomTown’s Kara Swisher, Sergey Brin said “I know, I know, it’s embarrassing.” He was unable to provide a date for the release of the Mac OS X version of Chrome, but did mention he is “asking every day” and hopes “it’ll be a matter of months.”

More after the break.

MORE »

Amidst all the Mac OS X 10.6 Hype, Apple has officially seeded Safari 4 to developers. This new version focuses on performance and stability. Using the Squirrelfish program with WebKit, Apple says Safari 4 will be “the fastest implementation of JavaScript ever, increasing performance by 53 percent, making Web 2.0 applications feel more responsive.” Since speed, quality, and stability are the main focus of 10.6, it seems Apple is getting a jump on those upgrades. Another example of lightning quick web applications is the newly announced MobileMe, the replacement for .Mac. 

With upcoming system upgrades and subsequent release of 10.6, Apple is really focusing now on speed and stability, especially in web apps.

Via [MacRumors]

WebKit, the engine behind Safari and all of Mac’s other HTML needs, seems to be looking fairly far into the future.  It looks as if they’re anticipating the imminent release of Mac OS X v10.6 (or whatever it may be called, details on that in a bit).  Flickr user factoryjoe, famous for his screenshots, has a picture showing files deep in the heart of the most recent WebKit Nightly Build.  In the picture, a folder is shown labled “10.6,” linking as an alias to “10.5” above that.  Above that is the 10.4 folder. 

When it all gets boiled down, I think there are two explanations possible for the situation.  The first is the possibility of a preemptive strike of sorts when it comes time to start writing for 10.6.  This method is not unheard of for developers.  The second, and much more likely situation, is that the developers of WebKit have gotten wind of the new OS and have actually starting to develop WebKit for 10.6.  This may be due to Apple’s possible need of an open source foundation for their 10.6 browsing needs.  Although there is no date even rumored yet for a release, it should be here relatively soon.  Let’s just hope there are no Leopard-esque delays with the next version. 

As for the name, read on.  Back in 2004, when Apple trademarked the names Tiger and Leopard, they also trademarked the names Cougar and Lynx.  Thus, we have the two most likely names for then next iteration of the Mac Operating system, and heck, maybe the unused name will be saved for 10.7.

Via [The Unofficial Apple Weblog]

Just after my recent Safari rant, Apple publishes an update.  This version, 3.1.1, fixes 39MB worth of security issues and bugs, one of which was the one that allowed a hacker to get full access of a MacBook Air at a recent PWN2OWN conference.  This update deals with four specific bugs and, in my opinion, is a very good step in the right direction.

More specifically, this update fixed an issue involving the way WebKit handled a host name containing a semi colon in the URL.  This bug, according to Apple, could allow a malicious URL to gain access to a machine.  Another issue fixed consisted of buffer overflows while handling JavaScript expressions.  This update is for both Mac users and Windows users, so be sure to download it for a more secure machine.

You can finds Apple’s detailed notes on this release at their site.