Meet Apple Safari 6, World’s Fastest Web Browser?

By | June 13, 2012 | 76 Comments

Meet Apple Safari 6, World’s Fastest Web Browser?Probably not.

During the WWDC keynote, Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president of Mac Software Engineering, has made some bold statements regarding web browsers.

According to Craig, in addition to a new, Core Animation based scrolling architecture, which will deliver a silky smooth scrolling, Safari 6 will also have the “fastest JavaScript engine of any browser on the planet” and “lightning fast page loading,”

Here is a slide to support their claim and no, it does not include the Internet Explorer 10:

Meet Apple Safari 6, World’s Fastest Web Browser?

A few more screenshots:

Meet Apple Safari 6, World’s Fastest Web Browser?

Meet Apple Safari 6, World’s Fastest Web Browser?

Safari 6 Changelog

- A smart search bar, think Google Chrome
- iCloud integration
- Twitter integration
- Tab synchronization across all devices
- Additional HTML5 standards support
- Several multi-touch gestures

What do you guys think?

[Picture Source: TheVerge]

[Thanks, Blake]


About (Author Profile)


Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism carrier back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.

  • Ichann

    OK. So apart from scrolling and javascript performance (redundant)

    What does it bring?

    Does it use SPDY or something to accelerate page loads?

    • http://hector-macias.blogspot.com Hector Macias Ayala

      Tell me one page that uses SPDY, besides Twitter.

      • Ichann

        Google?

        At least this is an feature. Instead of upgrading something.

        That was an example btw.

        Safari like IE doesnt have many features. It is limited. Good for a basic browser I guess.

        • Przemysław Lib

           yeah! Google powered services gain some nice boost. And Google can turn it on on its web-apps hosting services (google sites, google app engine, etc.) So audience is not small at all!
          Also if SPYDY would get into HTTP spec I think that apache code for it would surface minutes after ;)

  • http://twitter.com/ShaneGowland Shane Gowland

    Apple said it’s the fastest. That makes it fact. Do we really need to prove it?

    • http://twitter.com/bricky149 Shane Bundy

      I hope that comment was sarcastic. :p

      • Przemysław Lib

         They even provided bar with data proving it! However unneeded it was.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000738940938 Moosa Mahsoom

      check the difference between ie9 and safari. that’s easy going to be bowled over by ie10.

  • Grrblt

    I don’t get why Apple don’t just patent “fast browser” and sue the hell out of every other browser. I mean, it’s their standard business strategy for every other product, so why not here too?

    • apád anyád

      Good question, but never ask this again, they might just find your comment somewhere and decide to use the idea.

    • Ichann

      How about I sue you for un-originality? 

      :D

      • isra

        So, Ichann, you have the patent for un-originality? xD

        • http://www.favbrowser.com FavBrowser.com

          He must’ve transfered it to the Google’s Chrome Metro design team

        • Ichann

          Lol.

          How about I blow up your head with a pump?

          Is that original? :)

          • http://www.favbrowser.com FavBrowser.com

            Nah, with a straw on the other hand…

          • Ichann

            Actually, I have asthma. So a nogo on the straw.

            You are always welcome to blow for me though. Ahahaha

          • Truthteller

            Actually, not. It’s plain and dumb, and displays the lack of quickness of your wit.

          • Ichann

            Hey buddy. That took me a long time to conjure.

  • Whyamiusingthis

    They did not include Opera in the benchmark?

    • http://twitter.com/bricky149 Shane Bundy

      And Opera has a pretty good JS engine, even if it’s not the fastest in SunSpider. It’s pretty efficient everywhere else.

      • http://hector-macias.blogspot.com Hector Macias Ayala

        Faster than Chrome at least.

        • Hiram

          Oh, how I wish that were the case, but it’s not.

          • Przemysław Lib

             But we are talking about OSX browsers, and as Toms Hardware bench show, its entirely different world!

          • http://my.opera.com/rafaelluik Rafael

            Is there IE9 for OSX? :P

    • MacVities

      Why would you include a browser that’s faster?
      Everything Apple does is about cherrypicking data to brainwash idiots.

      • Hiram

        They used the SunSpider benchmark in which Opera is generally the slowest browser of them all. But I certainly agree with you in regards to them cherry picking things as that benchmark is basically made by them and it’s widely regarded by both Google and Mozilla as outdated and nearly obsolete.

        • Przemysław Lib

           And funy fact is that they do not provide VERSION of Safari, which is still probably in beta or alpha state. And this is plain stupid. You do not compare FF13 or Chrome 19 since Sfari will be compared to FF17 and Chrome 24 at arrival date. (Ok I have made those numbers, cause I do not really know when safari will be released, but they still show the picture quite nicely)

        • Ichann

          Have you guys noticed how opera runs sunspider? The UI goes ape-shit

        • http://hector-macias.blogspot.com Hector Macias Ayala

          Well every time I tried FF, Opera and Chrome in Spidertest, Chrome always comes the slowest.

  • Js9ty

    apple also said at ipad 3 keynote that people plays more on iphone/ipad than ps3/xbox 360.

    • Coward

      That’s because you can play a game on your iPhone while pooping.

  • http://twitter.com/bricky149 Shane Bundy

    Hey Apple, try telling Opera about smooth scrolling. :L

  • AllTheWay

    Hey look what i found

    http://i.imgur.com/2bVOl.jpg

    • http://twitter.com/bricky149 Shane Bundy

      That was actually true back then. Apple just say it and hope you believe it. ;)

    • Hiram

      According to most synthetic benchmarks it actually was the fastest at that time. However, currently the opposite is nearer to the truth.

      • AllTheWay

        Replacing “10.50″ with “12″

        how about it?

        • Hiram

          My previous statement was made with Opera 12.00 very much in mind.

      • jayjam
        • Hiram
          • jayjam

            Good point. It disproves your own claim. Although Tom’s Hardware’s tests are pretty lame.

          • Hiram

            In what way does this disprove my claim?

          • Hiram

            Woops, I made a mistake – I accidentally included a link to their XP edition of Grandprix which is was fairly silly as it was done on basically a decade old hardware. Here’s the correct link: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/chrome-17-firefox-10-ubuntu,3129-7.html

          • Hiram

            I should also probably state that when I made my claim I made it with Maxthon in mind as being a major browser. So, going by the fact that Chrome,Firefox and Maxthon are all generally faster on synthetic benchmarks than Opera and that there are 6 major browsers(IE,Chrome,Firefox,Safari,Opera and Maxthon), Opera would end up in the lower half of the list. That would make my claim that Opera is nearer to being the slowest rather than the fastest major browser very much true.

          • jayjam

            It disproves your claim because it pretty consistently shows Opera near the top of the list, and never last.

          • Hiram

            When a list is compromised out of 6 browsers and Opera is generally in the 4th place that means it’s closer to the bottom than the top.

          • jayjam

            A list comprised of 6 browsers? Learntocount.

            Opera is usually in the top 2-3, as your links show too.

          • Hiram

            You have probably not bothered to look at my other comment, but that’s OK. You are correct in saying that Opera is generally in the third spot in the links that I have provided, however those links do not include Maxthon which I and many others consider to also be a major browser. So basically if we were to include Maxthon as a major browser, we would then have 6. And as Chrome,Firefox and Maxthon are generally faster in the majority synthetic benchmarks that would relegate Opera from the third to the fourth place. Here’s a link to the latest Maxthon release if you wish to test it for yourself: http://forum.maxthon.com/redirect.php?tid=82387&goto=newpost#newpost

          • Hiram

            In the majority *of*

          • jayjam

            Maxthon is definitely not a major browser, and all it does is ride on the optimizations performed by Apple and Google.

          • Hiram

            I believe it’s market share is significant enough to justify calling it a major browser. And I don’t think that them utilizing tools that are already available and building upon them is necessarily a bad thing. Also, I provided you with that link for a reason, that reason being is that you can do the tests for yourself and confirm the fact that Maxthon is indeed faster than Opera in the majority of synthetic benchmarks. And while I would certainly like for Maxthon to be included in future Grandprixes, I hardly made anything up.

          • jayjam

            Maxthon isn’t even visible in the global stats. Its market share is about 0.000000000001%.

            Your subjective opinion about Maxthon’s speed is about as reliable as your claims about its huge market share. Yawn.

          • Hiram

            http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-CN-monthly-201204-201205 China is one example where Maxthon has a fairly decent marketshare. And with your claim of “0.000000000001%.” I see that you have abandoned all pretense of nicety and having any interest in changing your mind. So by the fact that tomshardware didn’t benchmark Maxthon, all tests, even though they are the same ones as done by tomshardware are subjective? I have provided you with a link to Maxthon and you may test it on all the benchmarks listed in tomshardware. Chances are that you won’t and you will continue being an Opera fruitcake like you have always been.

          • Hiram

            Also, Maxthon’s UA is changed according to the engine it uses, so it’s very difficult to get accurate information as to what is it’s exact marketshare might be.

          • Hiram

            http://marketshare.hitslink.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=2&qpcustomd=0 Look down, so as you can see there are  Chrome 18 and IE8 Maxthon editions which add up to around 0.35%, however that list is missing the IE9 maxthon edition and the new Chrome one, so it’s unknown as to what it’s exact marketshare might be. Suffice it to say that it’s certainly larger than your estimate.

      • hotteamix

        Oh look a fraction of microseconds difference.

        Chrome lag like btch on heavy page trying to scroll thing. THAT’s far more important to me than a nanosecond difference.

        FF is not bad, nothing can replace trahs bin, panel, memo and feed reader on Opera though.

        • Hiram

          Milliseconds, not a fraction of microseconds. And those do add up substantially when using whole applications written in JavaScript. I’m not trying to be mean to Opera but, if any browser “lags like a bitch trying to scroll” that would certainly be it.

          • hotteamix

            Show me such JS heavy site that’s noticeably faster on Chrome than on Opera.

          • Hiram

            These are the first ones that come to mind: Google Docs, Twitter, Gmail

          • hotteamix

            Those google are because of SPDY, and Twitter is just as fast here (thanks to HTTPS improvement of O12).

          • hotteamix

            …If you can notice any different in JS execution on those sites, you’re probably using ancient machine. Page loading is fast due to SPDY on google sites, and Twitter is slow on any browser.

          • Hiram

            To both hotteamix and Guest: I’m not talking about the loading of the page, I’m talking about the execution of functions within the page. And Chrome is certainly faster.
            Also, my desktop while hardly new, isn’t that slow.

      • jayjam

        “abandoned all pretense of nicety and having any interest in changing your mind”

        Says the “currently the opposite is nearer to the truth” guy.

        Also, Maxthon having 3% in China does not make it a major browser. No one is using it outside of China, and within China most people are probably using phones rather than PCs to get online. So 3% of a handful of people is still tiny.

        Look, you can keep trying to push Maxthon, but no one is using it, it is not a major browser, and it is not being tested in benchmarks. Sorry dude.

        • Hiram

          Look at my other my comments, I’ve provided you with a global, while not entirely accurate market share as well: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/browser-market-share.aspx?qprid=2&qpcustomd=0 Chrome 18 Maxthon + IE 8 Maxthon = ~ 0.35%, but that’s also not including the IE9 and the newer Chrome editions and also not including the custom UA strings that are available. So it’s probably somewhere around 0.5%. I gotta say it’s fairly funny that saying that Opera is closer to being the slowest rather than the fastest browser around is now a personal offense to an Opera fruitcake.

          • jayjam

            “The report you requested requires that you are a subscriber to “Mobile / Desktop / Console Segmentation Upgrade”.”

            No thanks. I don’t need a paid upgrade to tell me that Maxthon is irrelevant and doesn’t have any users.

          • Hiram

            That’s odd, it shouldn’t actually require you a subscription as I don’t have one either. Here’s a screenshot: http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/6698/94495777.jpg

  • Denny Kluge

    Smart search bar, tab synchronisation. Well, Chrome has this for a while :-) So Apple is just catching up.

  • Mikah

    Guessing they base their claim on just the one test probably SunSpider  & if it true?  they won’t be fastest for long.

    • Hiram

      You are probably correct, as them using SunSpider explains IE9 being in the first place on their chart.

  • cyberstream_us

    It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from Safari…

  • http://hector-macias.blogspot.com Hector Macias Ayala

    It will bite Opera 12s very dust!!!

    • Hiram

      You are basing this on what exactly?

      • http://hector-macias.blogspot.com Hector Macias Ayala

        On my experience with it, what else?

        • Hiram

          Good for you, but that is hardly substantial proof of anything.

    • Truthteller

      So far Opera’s kissing Apple’s very butt.

  • Yoyo

    Safari and Opera display widnows outlook live(which my uni email use) in wrong way.
    had to use Comodo Dragon or Chromium to display web page right ….. is it sad that IE and Google both hates use browser sniffing and stuff like that.

  • NoBigGovDuh

    Fake chart, IE9 is not faster than chrome or FF. I think Apple and Microsoft are 69ing now.

«
»