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Apple Distributing Safari for Windows via iTunes

I too think this is very shady.

It's not like Steam where they are offering software through a client you load. The Apple Software update keeps popping open a box, unauthorized, asking to install Safari. This is about as intrusive as it gets, aside from having the app installed without your consent.

Safari may be a great browser on the Mac, but it doesn't come close to Firefox on Windows. Leave me alone, Apple.
 
New feature

It seems that safari 3.1 come with a new feature, the ignorance of misspelled words after the insertion of smiley face. Yep, spelling is not important as long as we all smile :D
Other than that safari 3 .1 being distributed in the iT,Qt bundle doesn't surprise me. I hope this will encourage more support for safari on the dark side.
 
princealfie said:
sweet, this makes things a lot easier!
Click to expand...

I disagree. It's not hard at all to go to apple.com and download safari if I so desired. Pushing products on me is not making my life easier. It's stepping closer to what sony does with bloatware.

nosen said:
This seems shady to me. People think they're just installing iTunes, but now Apple is piggy-backing more stuff to the install. It's bad enough they have to do it with Quicktime.
Click to expand...

x2 super shady.

wrldwzrd89 said:
Dang, Apple. That's impressive.

I agree though, iTunes would make a great distribution vehicle for Apple software, particularly on the Windows side. On the Mac it's not needed as much thanks to Software Update.

On another note, despite my comments above, I rated this a negative. Why? The reason is that I do not like having software pushed to me unless I consent to it. I suspect other users may feel the same way.
Click to expand...

It also got a negative from me.

arn said:
well, it's not really "pushing" in that they ask you if you want to install Safari 3.1. So you can say "no" and get on with your day.

arn
Click to expand...

I hate to disagree with the arn-ster, but I would consider it pushing. While on my windows machine I chose to download iTunes and quicktime (though I was angry when they were required to be downloaded together at one time). I also trusted Apple by allowing them to do automatic updates on my computer with regard to the software that I chose to download. Then I get an official "window's update" tab that comes up and says that I have an Apple software update that needs to download. Had I not read it, and seen safari, I would have clicked on it because I TRUSTED apple. This is a monopolistic and shady practice to give "automatic updates" that are actually releases of different products than you signed up for.

Had microsoft office for mac 2008 tried to AUTOMATICALLY DOWNLOAD window's explorer in OS X, then I think you would understand that this is total BS. What apple did is no different. The story would have 10,000 negatives if microsoft did as I suggested. And so should this.
 
I don't see why this is a big deal when you consider how it is presented to the user. Apple Software update says "Hey there is new software, It's called Safari 3.1. Do you want to install it?"

Last I checked there was a button that says "No."
 
DamnDJ said:
I too think this is very shady.

It's not like Steam where they are offering software through a client you load. The Apple Software update keeps popping open a box, unauthorized, asking to install Safari. This is about as intrusive as it gets, aside from having the app installed without your consent.

Safari may be a great browser on the Mac, but it doesn't come close to Firefox on Windows. Leave me alone, Apple.
Click to expand...

Yeah, mine keeps popping up too. I thought I knew you, Apple.
 
I don't really like this expansion of iTunes. ITunes already has a cluttered interface with lots of things I don't care about or need. This just makes iTunes a bulkier and more ungainly product (though actually I'm not a windows user, so maybe it's not so bad on Windows).
 
maybesew said:
I don't see why this is a big deal when you consider how it is presented to the user. Apple Software update says "Hey there is new software, It's called Safari 3.1. Do you want to install it?"

Last I checked there was a button that says "No."
Click to expand...

Seems pretty straightforward to me.

I hope they've made some real progress with Safari for Windows. I downloaded it right after it became available before I bought my Mac, and it was a nightmare on Windows. An ugly, slow, almost unusable nightmare of a browser. But I used it anyway, because I felt like it put me one step closer to my anticipated switch. :rolleyes:

Works beautifully on my MBP, of course! :apple:
 
Adokimus said:
I hate to disagree with the arn-ster, but I would consider it pushing.
Click to expand...

... just meant that to clarify that it doesn't download it automatically. but ya, can understand why people think it's shady... since it does look like it's just a normal update, not a new piece of software.

arn
 
maybesew said:
I don't see why this is a big deal when you consider how it is presented to the user. Apple Software update says "Hey there is new software, It's called Safari 3.1. Do you want to install it?"

Last I checked there was a button that says "No."
Click to expand...

That is not how it is presented at all. It pops up in the Window's automatic update window. Then you have to click either "proceed" or "quit". If you decide to hit quit, then it will ask you again if you would like to proceed with your automatic updates the next time you log on.

I don't know where you checked last.
 
maybesew said:
I don't see why this is a big deal when you consider how it is presented to the user. Apple Software update says "Hey there is new software, It's called Safari 3.1. Do you want to install it?"

Last I checked there was a button that says "No."
Click to expand...

applesafaritrojan-080320.jpg


actually, there is no "no" button :)

arn
 
I got the update notice for my Windows machine, I'm pretty sure it was a couple of days back but I just quit it because I like Firefox.
 
I'm not keen on this.

I've not been a fan of Apple's software installs on Windows for a while.

It seems to me everytime I update iTunes I have fresh Desktop Shortcuts, Quick Launch, and System Tray icons to clean up.

It all seems a little Google/Yahoo! Toolbar to me.
 
arn said:
well, it's not really "pushing" in that they ask you if you want to install Safari 3.1. So you can say "no" and get on with your day.

arn
Click to expand...

That's... not entirely accurate. I installed bootcamp, and was repeatedly asked to install iTunes, Quick time, and Safari, simply because I had the Apple Updater on my PC. It would do this about once a week too (every time it looked for updates) and it was annoying as anything!

Minus a zillion for such shady practices Apple, at least give users a way to permanently opt out. Maybe I WANT IE6 for some god-awful reason.
 
whatever said:
What's so shady about this.
Click to expand...

This:

http://waffle.wootest.net/2008/03/20/where-by-interesting-i-mean-annoying/

It would be ok to OFFER Safari here, but but they make it look like an update, not a new program.

That's just WRONG. Likewise, making it hard to download just Quicktime without getting iTunes is wrong. (The reverse is necessary and is ok.)

The REASON this sucks, is that I've met many Windows users who say things like "Mac? Oh yeah, why would I want one of those? Apple software is kind of crappy."

And you know what, if I based my opinion only on Apple software on Windows...I'd agree!

They're shooting themselves in the foot here. If the iPod is a "halo device" then that damn Quicktime system tray icon is an "anti-halo device."

:mad:
 
Adokimus said:
Thank you for understanding that this is a little shady/offensive to some users. I don't know how to say it except that it doesn't seem very "Apple-like" of a business practice.
Click to expand...

So everyone thinks it okay for Apple to do this for OS X users, but not okay to do it for Windows?

Doesn't make sense and to me it's a non-issue. If you want it you say yes and download it, if you don't, well you say no and walk away. Oh wait, are people saying that Windows users are stupid and will always click yes?
 
Adokimus said:
I disagree.
Had microsoft office for mac 2008 tried to AUTOMATICALLY DOWNLOAD window's explorer in OS X, then I think you would understand that this is total BS. What apple did is no different. The story would have 10,000 negatives if microsoft did as I suggested. And so should this.
Click to expand...

Hmm. When I installed Microsoft Office on my Mac, Microsoft attempted to install Explorer too. :rolleyes:
 
He he.

"iTunes updater has detected obsolete software (Windows XP) on your computer. Would you like to download and install OS X?"

<snicker>
 
Stridder44 said:
This makes Apple no better than any other annoying software that riddles you with pop-ups. And remember, many of the people that will be affected are moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas who will see this pop up and will confuse the hell out of them. This tactic is on par with Microsoft, yet you guys seem to think just because Apple's doing it makes it OK.
Click to expand...

Not really, I don't like this move, but you can't say its in the same class.

Small White Car said:
That's just WRONG. Likewise, making it hard to download just Quicktime without getting iTunes is wrong. (The reverse is necessary and is ok.)
Click to expand...

Its not difficult to get just Quicktime, its just once its there its difficult to disable downloading iTunes as everytime a new version is released it pops up telling you about it.

To be honest you can also say MS is "shady" for bundling IE with Windows so you use it. Though I would say that this is less accepatable than that.
 
Kwill said:
Hmm. When I installed Microsoft Office on my Mac, Microsoft attempted to install Explorer too. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I've been using neo-office, so I wasn't aware of that. But, it makes sense. I just can't believe that Apple is following the same business model as microsoft. It's a shady practice for both of them. However, it's more shady to me that they're not asking you to try new programs at the time of install... they're also pushing them on you after you've already chosen which programs you wanted.
 
Eraserhead said:
Its not difficult to get just Quicktime, its just once its there its difficult to disable downloading iTunes as everytime a new version is released it pops up telling you about it.
Click to expand...

Being constantly bothered to download something you don't want = Difficult

Eraserhead said:
To be honest you can also say MS is "shady" for bundling IE with Windows so you use it. Though I would say that this is less accepatable than that.
Click to expand...

Uh, wouldn't that be a lot like Apple including Safari with OS X? And has anyone here said that that's wrong?

No, we haven't. So why bring it up? INCLUDING software is fine, no matter which company does it. But if I get rid of it I don't want pop-ups telling me to re-download it. Apple does that on Windows, they don't do it on OS X.

What this does is it makes Apple look bad to people who don't use Macs. How is THAT going to help them grow market-share?
 
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