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Safari 5.0 and Mac OS 10.6.4 to be announced/released at WWDC?

david winograd
Updated ·3 min read

According to French Apple news site Macgeneration, Safari 5.0 will be released at WWDC. We usually don't post non-verified information, but I think that this might be true since we were sent specific release notes. With the understanding that this is a rumor, albeit a very good one, here's what Safari 5.0 purportedly contains:


  • Safari Reader: Click on the new Reader icon to view articles on the web in a single clutter-free page.

  • Improved Performance: Safari 5 executes Javascript up to 25% faster than Safari 4. Better page caching and DNS prefetching speed up browsing.

  • Bing Search Option: New Bing search option for Safari's Search Field, in addition to Google and Yahoo.

  • Improved HTML5 support: Safari supports over a dozen new HTML5 features including Geolocation, full screen for HTML5 video, closed caption for HTML5 video, new sectioning elements (article, aside footer, header, hgroup, nav and section), HTML5, AJAX History, EventSource, WebSocket, HTML 5 draggable attribute, HTML 5 forms validation, and HTML 5 Ruby.

  • Safari Developer Tools: A new Timeline Panel in the Web Inspector shows how Safari interacts with a web site and identifies areas for optimization. New keyboard shortcuts make it aster to switch between panels.

  • Smarter Address Field: The Smart Address Field can now match text against the titles of web pages in History and Bookmarks, as well as any part of their URL.

  • Tab Settings: Automatically open new webpages in tabs instead of in separate windows.

  • Hardware Acceleration for Windows: Use the power of the computer's graphics processor to smoothly display media and effects on PC, as well as Mac.

  • Search History with Date: A new date indicator in Full History Search shows when web pages were viewed.

  • Top Sites/History Button: Switch easily between Top Sites and Full History Search with a new button that appears at the top of each view.

  • Private Browsing Icon: A "Private" icon appears in the Smart Address Field when Private Browsing is on. Click on the icon to turn off Private Browsing.

  • DNS Prefetching: Safari looks at the addresses of links on web pages and can load those pages faster.

  • Improved Page Caching: Safari can add additional types of web pages to the cache so they load quickly.

  • XSS Auditor: Safari can filter potentially malicious scripts used in cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

  • Improved JavaScript Support: Safari allows web applications that use JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) to run faster and more securely.

It was also reported that Safari 5 contains some other features not mentioned above. Additionally, release notes were posted for Mac OS 10.6.4 which we were told has already been distributed in house, with the server version passing golden master status. It looks like a minor update. Here are the release notes sent to us:

The 10.6.4 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes that:

  • resolve an issue that causes the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive

  • resolve an issue that may prevent some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening

  • address issues copying, renaming or deleting files on SMB servers

  • improve reliability of VPN connections

  • resolve a playback issue in DVD Player when using Good Quality deinterlacing

  • resolve an issue editing photos with iPhoto or Aperture in full screen view

  • improve compatibility with some braille displays

And that's what we were sent. My inclination is to believe it since Macgenerations is in French and the release notes were in perfect English, and the text seems consistent with other Apple release notes. Macgenerations tells us that this is verified and that they are not a rumor site but have been reporting Apple news for the last ten years.

Caveat Lector! (Let the reader beware)