View this article at: http://dev.macnn.com/articles/08/05/02/pc.safari.use.triples
Friday, May 02, 2008 12:10pm

Safari 'update' ploy triple...

Apple's Safari browser recently tripled its number of Windows users in the span of a month, according to the Internet analytics group Net Applications. Although the earlier Safari 3.0 beta never achieved Windows marketshare over 0.07 percent, even with the help of a recognizable brand and several months of availability, this figure grew to 0.21 percent during the months of March and April, following the release of the official Safari 3.1 client.

The data may be extremely controversial however, as it coincides with the browser's forced deployment through Software Update. Safari 3.1 was automatically presented to Windows users as if it were another upgrade, when in reality many downloaders had previously never had any version of the software installed. Fortune notes that many critics believe this was a deliberate tactic to inrease marketshare, particularly as Apple only resolved the problem in late April. Software Update now lists Safari as an optional new piece of software.