Status of Internet browsers on Mac - March 2011

[petvas]

As things progress every day we get to use new browser versions that offer more features, speed and security, so I wanted to see what my fellow Mac fans think about the new browsers and especially how they compare to Safari 5.0.4.
What is your favorite browser now that Chrome 10 is out and Firefox 4 got released? How does Safari compare to the above browsers? Are there any speed tests specifically for the Mac? I couldn't find anything on the Internet as all tests seem to concentrate on the Windows versions.
Speed is of course one aspect when considering which browser to use. I am actually between Safari and Chrome 11 beta. I like Safari's integration with the OS but sometimes I see that it isn't as fast as Chrome.
Chrome on the other hand is fast, has problems though with scrolling in sites while they are loading, something that I hate.
Firefox 4 seems to land somewhere in the middle, but I still don't like the way it renders text. I can still see a difference to Safari and Chrome, who both render text the exact same way.
I would love to have a browser that integrates great with Mac OS X and MobileMe, like Safari does, but with the simplicity and speed of Chrome.
The problem is that I don't see any of the browsers doing exactly that.
At the moment I use Safari primarily and Chrome as a backup.
I am thinking of moving to Chrome but then I miss all of the Safari features
So, what are your thoughts? What are your reasons of your browser choice?

 

[GGJstudios]

Which is your favorite Mac browser and why?
Browser suggestions?
Chrome vs. Safari
Firefox 4.0 and Chrome 10 activating dedicated video card. MBP 2011

 

[Blakeasd]

I switched from Chrome to Safari and finally to Firefox 4

 

[Mackilroy]

I've occasionally used Firefox but I prefer Chrome to either it or Safari.

 

[petvas]

Which is your favorite Mac browser and why?
Browser suggestions?
Chrome vs. Safari
Firefox 4.0 and Chrome 10 activating dedicated video card. MBP 2011

These threads are well known to me, but as I said in my first post, things change very fast and these threads don't cover what I am asking in this thread.

 

[svkrzn]

This site points to an italian one but the graphics are english so you can compare Opera vs IE vs Safari vs Chrome vs Firefox

http://www.geekissimo.com/2011/03/2...firefox-4-vs-opera-11-01-vs-safari-benchmark/

 

[GGJstudios]

This site points to an italian one but the graphics are english so you can compare Opera vs IE vs Safari vs Chrome vs Firefox

You can also translate the site to English.

 

[petvas]

Thanks for the link, but as I said before most sites post tests for the Windows versions of these browsers. I still haven't found any Mac specific tests. It doesn't have to be benchmarks. Benchmarks aren't that important to me. The whole picture is more important.

 

[clientsiman]

I really like both Firefox 4 from Chrome 12 dev but I think I am more into Chrome (superb bookmark sync).

I never liked safari because it is shows the beach ball far too often and I also find the UI ugly.

 

[Mackilroy]

I really like both Firefox 4 from Chrome 12 dev but I think I am more into Chrome (superb bookmark sync).

Indeed, syncing is a great feature that I quite enjoy.

 

[HikariYuki]

I would like to use chrome but every time I view a flash video the cpu usage goes through the roof. I just stick with safari works great.

 

[blueroom]

Went from Chrome to Firefox 4. More plugins and the sync actually works.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

These threads are well known to me, but as I said in my first post, things change very fast and these threads don't cover what I am asking in this thread.

Agreed, those threads are good for reference but needs, time and development change. Safari is my main browser, but I use Chrome 12 dev and FF4.

 

[GGJstudios]

Agreed, those threads are good for reference but needs,time and development change. Safari is my main browser, but I use Chrome 12 dev and FF4.

All those threads are current, with posts in the past couple weeks. 3 of the 4 threads were started this month. While they may not specifically address all the OP's questions, they're still relevant as they discuss the current browsers. Not knowing if the OP had seen them or not, they were offered as relevant reading, not as a replacement for this thread.

 

[Angra-mainju]

I am a student. I use chrome 11 beta (and starting to regret this - thinking of going back to C10) on a daily basics, firefox 4 for downloading files (cos chrome downloads like 30 kb/s, while firefox 4 like 1.1 MB/S) and safari for my uni stuff (the PDFs on the uni portal are displayed within the browser but I need to download those files too...)

Conclusion: If Safari was that fast as Chrome, and opening new tabs wasn't that laggy, then I would be on Safari

 

[unobtainium]

Personally I'm using Safari and FF 4 (for the plug-ins that aren't available on Safari). I like the integration of Safari but I really wish Apple would work on making it faster. Hopefully the next update will come with a huge speed increase and Webkit 2!