Apple's Safari Again Overtakes Microsoft Edge as Second Most Popular Desktop Browser

[TheMacDaddy1]

MS pushes the Edge Browser crazy hard on Windows desktops. Virtually every time you update the OS there will be a full-screen takeover trying to get you to change your default browser and search engine. Last time I looked at a relative's computer there was also a random interactive Bing search bar overlaid on top of the desktop wallpaper.

It is SO effing bad on Windows. I so hate using Windows already. Now with 11 and Edge you have to FIGHT them both to keep your settings. Any update and Edge could be your default browser again and with all of its Bing glory as well.

Windows 11 is the QVC of operating systems.

 

[anthogag]

Safari edges-out Edge…beautiful

I use Safari

 

[jonnysods]

I've been loving Edge on my Mac, but sadly MS have turned a corner the last few months, with the chatgpt, persistent Bing button and other things seeming to invade my machine, I may go back to Safari, and use Edge for website editing when I run into issues (sometimes I experience bugs and quirks with Safari which made me switch in the first place).

 

[lkrupp]

What I can’t comprehend is all the accolades and laudatory comments about Chrome when we know full well, being a Google product, that it’s a personal data mining machine that disguises itself as a browser. I use Safari only and have almost no issues with websites, ever. It just works.

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

LOL, keep telling yourself that.

As it stands, I use Chrome on my Mac, and not Safari, for a number of reasons - one major one is cross platfiorm. Many of us use different devices, and Safari cannot help us. In many respects I find Chrome with its extension is just plain better then Safari.

100% agree. Chrome just works and works great. On a 16inch Macbook M1 Pro....so battery life and fan noise are no longer and issue. Chrome supports profiles, which I need. Chrome is just super easy to open up and get going. Edge, the first time you use it, is like watching someone have a mental melt down. All this junk pops up, full screen, then the MSN/Bing/MS Login screens get jammed in your face....customize the look and feel. Go into the settings section of Edge...compare that to Chrome which is just simple.

Safari is slow, breaks enough websites, has no profile support and no real customization (colors or themes).

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

What I can’t comprehend is all the accolades and laudatory comments about Chrome when we know full well, being a Google product, that it’s a personal data mining machine that disguises itself as a browser

I think people need to get over this Google stuff. EVERYONE, including Apple mines your data. You cell provider knows every single DNS call your phone makes. Your ISP as well. Your Credit Card companies know OH so much about you. Do you use ANY social media?

Go to YouTube, search for a video called "Apple is Terrible for your Privacy" and watch it. They let 3rd party apps gather mountains of data on you. If you use the Internet, at all, privacy is a myth.

 

[Choco Taco]

Brave

 

[charlesdayton]

Considering Safari is only available on Macs and not PCs, this is more impressive.

I would love to see Mac specific usage numbers. This would be a more fair comparison

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

Have you read the privacy T&C of apps? Apple allows some pretty invasive apps to make a buck. So I assume they are clever in other areas

This. Wake up, Apple's privacy stance is nothing but a marketing bullet point. They let 3rd part apps gather tons of data on you. Look what they did in China. I love Apple products but their privacy stance is a farce. Google makes some good products, Chrome, Search, YouTube, Maps and I will use what is best.

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

Considering Safari is only available on Macs and not PCs, this is more impressive.

I would love to see Mac specific usage numbers. This would be a more fair comparison

Edge is just that bad.

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

I will never understand why Chrome is so high, it's an awful browser. For a company that does leetcode interviews you'd think they'd be able to make their browser know to refresh a saved password once it's changed.

I never had a problem with Chrome and passwords. Then again I use BitWarden and NEVER save passwords into any browser.

 

[WilliApple]

Lol I hope Apple says “Safari is the 2nd most used browser in the world” at WWDC23! I actually tried Chrome last November on my Mac, it was terrible. The only thing I liked about it was that you can change the color of the tab bar.

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

When I'm using my Windows work computer:

Firefox is still my main browser on laptop for any personal stuff; but I'll use Brave (which is Chromium-based, unfortunately) when I need an alternate browser.

At work I do also use MS Edge, as it integrates best into our AD and M365 apps - and honestly I cannot say much negative about it once I configure it to disable a lot of the heavy feature-cruft.

"once I configure it to disable a lot of the heavy feature-cruft.".

I have this for Windows and Edge. Every six months it gets longer and longer.....with stuff I have to disable.

 

[robertcoogan]

FIREFOX!!!

Been a user since it was called Phoenix.

 

[baryon]

And Safari is Mac-only which makes it even more impressive.
I downloaded Edge to try the AI Bing thingy... but holy **** it's an abomination! It's exactly like the convoluted, over-complicated, out-of-touch Microsoft I remember from 15 years ago. Uninstalled it for good.

Chrome is just slow. Some things (Google services, no coincidence) do work better on Chrome though.

 

[phillytim]

I used to work with chrome because unlike many here I can't work only on macs, so a cross-platform browser is mandatory.

I still don't get why Apple can't put the effort into reliable Windows applications, it would serve them as a driving force towards their own hardware... but no they keep making things complicated for their users.

I was bummed when Apple discontinued Safari for Windows.

 

[chrono1081]

I never had a problem with Chrome and passwords. Then again I use BitWarden and NEVER save passwords into any browser.

If you save it to the Chrome browser that's where you see the issue. Maybe I'm just unlucky but it happens on my work and personal machine. We have a few crappy web apps at work that require Chrome and after a password change it takes literally 2+ weeks before Chrome is like "Oh...wait we need to update the password!"

There's no place like Chrome alright...

 

[bunty]

I've started using Safari and Safari Technology Preview simultaneously now as my only browsers. Safari for my everyday personal browsing (with Block all cookies enabled and I clear website data daily) and Safari Technology Preview for work and the very few sites I log into. Safari Technology Preview is actually kind of great, a little buggy, but overall it's been great and works well with the sites I need for work.

I do wish Apple would bring back Safari for Windows though.

 

[txscott]

All this statistic shows is the approximate percentage of Macs in the wild vs all other types. You can't run Safari on anything but a Mac and some people who own Macs prefer other browsers. So this is, at any one time, Active Macs - Non-Safari Users. Active Mac's have been between 10-12% of total computers for years now.

 

[codewrangler]

Would be interesting to see the market share of Safari vs Chrome, just on macOS....

 

[robbietop]

I am a Safari Default, Edge secondary on the Mac and iOS. Firefox has improved significantly since almost abandoning the browser a few years back, but it still doesn't get installed because you fool me only once. I don't forgive Firefox for the disaster it brought on itself.

And Chrome remains banned. I don't need extensions, I don't need a customized experience (I'm not a fickle child), I would like to use my RAM for other things, and Safari is just better. As for speed, it's like 6 points faster, ladeedahhh. Oh boy, your Ferrari is slightly faster than my Tesla but you used up all my RAM.

As soon as I can replace Gmail, I will be Google Free™️

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

given how aggressively MS tries to push users to use Edge on Windows, thats kind of success
and turns out Edge is still mostly used to download Chrome lol

And even then, first launch of Edge is annoying as hell with all the push to sync my account and accept all sort of terms, none of which I want. I started just downloading the Chrome installer to my USB drive and running it that way.

 

[txscott]

I would imagine there are many people who use multiple browsers. For instance, they may use Chrome to access Google Services Safari for everything else. Or just about any combination you can think of.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

If you save it to the Chrome browser that's where you see the issue. Maybe I'm just unlucky but it happens on my work and personal machine. We have a few crappy web apps at work that require Chrome and after a password change it takes literally 2+ weeks before Chrome is like "Oh...wait we need to update the password!"

There's no place like Chrome alright...

I use Chrome with Chrome Sync and never have a problem with passwords. As an IT Admin for many companies, I'm constantly needing to change and use passwords and literally have never had the problem you describe.

 

[Octavius8]

Have you used Edge recently?, it is not the same as IE.
it is my main browser in my Mac, IPhone and iPad.
It is faster than Safari, has a default ad-blocker, manages bookmarks waaaaaaay better than Safari and the start page has my fav-icons for my favorite and also for the most visited sites.
Why do you use Safari?. Do you think is more private?, jajajaja.
Edge also does not make my 14PM gets hot just by browsing websites (and these forums), I bet your phone is warm by now after replying in this forum, mine, not!.
The fan boy mentality…