Apple smuggles Safari onto Windows PCs

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A new update for the Windows versions of Apple’s Quicktime and iTunes software also contains Safari, Apple’s proprietary web browser, calling it an important software update and installing it by default.

Many Windows users have Quicktime and iTunes installed. The former is used to view Apple’s online movie trailers, the latter to manage iPods or purchase music from Apple’s online store.

Apple unveiled Safari version 3.1 earlier this week. According to figures from Net Applications this February, the browser currently holds 5.7% of the market, with Mozilla Firefox holding 17.3% and Internet Explorer ruling at 75.9%.

Mozilla CEO John Lilly spoke out about Apple’s actions, which he said violated user trust and harmed the security of the whole web as a result.

Lilly said: "The problem here is that it lists Safari for getting an update - and has the 'Install' box checked by default - even if you haven’t ever installed Safari on your PC. By and large, all software makers are trying to get users to trust us on updates, and so the likely behavior here is for users to just click 'Install 2 items,' which means that they’ve now installed a completely new piece of software, quite possibly completely unintentionally…This is wrong, and borders on malware distribution practices.

"It’s wrong because it undermines the trust that we’re all trying to build with users. Because it means that an update isn’t just an update, but is maybe something more. Because it ultimately undermines the safety of users on the web by eroding that relationship. It’s a bad practice and should stop," he added.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Apple's Safari on windows
Posted by Husni Sayed, Yanbu, KSA on Tuesday 1 April 2008 at 17:30 UAE time


I don't see why the all the ruckus for. I did get the offer, but it was clear to me that I was installing an alternative browser. I did not mind. I welcome anything that is not from Microsoft. We have to break their monopoly. Remember how Microsoft was bundling their browser with the OS and you had to do something to remove it. I think it is within the acceptable range of common sense that Apple made the offer iTunes and we accepted it.

Apple smuggles SAFARI onto Windosw PC
Posted by graham yung, Dubai, UAE on Monday 31 March 2008 at 08:47 UAE time


For an organisation such as Apple to 'sneak-in'' SAFARI as a default , not an option via their I-Tunes update programe is under handed. Is Apple setting a precendent to which they and other companies can just do what they want?

It's just wrong
Posted by Harry on Sunday 30 March 2008 at 15:45 UAE time


If it was Microsoft trying to sneak new applications onto PCs by hiding them in updates, do you think the Apple fan club would think that was OK? I'd guess not....

Balanced view?
Posted by Magnus, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Saturday 29 March 2008 at 07:45 UAE time


So you got the Mozilla guy's views, shouldn't you have balanced that out with someone else?

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