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Great article. Discussion question - what incentives need to change to make Apple invest more in Safari? They've always been invested in native apps first and

Great article. Discussion question - what incentives need to change to make Apple invest more in Safari? They've always been invested in native apps first and foremost, because that's where they make their money - the app stores. The other place they make their money is hardware. And it's hard to say you buy a MacBook or iPhone because of safari. You don't. So I just don't know what it will take for Apple to make significant investments in the web. Whereas Google makes all their money on the web.

kitsunesoba 8y ago
I’m not sure that Apple specifically avoids investing in Safari… I think it’s more that their vision of the web differs significantly from Google’s. They still see Safari as a web browser while Google sees Chrome as a platform akin to an operating system. Apple also just prioritizes different things in WebKit than Google does with Blink. Where Apple implements energy saver and privacy protection features, Google implements whizz-bang bells and whistles to keep the attention of front end web developers.
whizzkid 8y ago
Priorities change unfortunately. Read this article if you have time. It highlights the importance and passion that was given to safari at a time. I am sure most engineers working on safari are still having great ideas for the product but management will not be on the same page as them. https://donmelton.com/2014/04/10/memories-of-steve/ https://donmelton.com/2014/04/10/memories-of-steve/
fchristant 8y ago
hi, author here, and thanks. I have a straightforward answer. Build incredible PWAs that users will miss out on on iOS, because it has partial support at best. You'd still serve 80% of the market. I'll admit its a theoretical answer, as most commercial organization would not risk losing out on iOS users. They're not the biggest group of users, yet some of the most valuable groups of users, commercially speaking.

kitsunesoba 8y ago

I’m not sure that Apple specifically avoids investing in Safari… I think it’s more that their vision of the web differs significantly from Google’s. They still see Safari as a web browser while Google sees Chrome as a platform akin to an operating system. Apple also just prioritizes different things in WebKit than Google does with Blink. Where Apple implements energy saver and privacy protection features, Google implements whizz-bang bells and whistles to keep the attention of front end web developers.

whizzkid 8y ago

Priorities change unfortunately. Read this article if you have time. It highlights the importance and passion that was given to safari at a time. I am sure most engineers working on safari are still having great ideas for the product but management will not be on the same page as them. https://donmelton.com/2014/04/10/memories-of-steve/ https://donmelton.com/2014/04/10/memories-of-steve/

fchristant 8y ago

hi, author here, and thanks. I have a straightforward answer. Build incredible PWAs that users will miss out on on iOS, because it has partial support at best. You'd still serve 80% of the market. I'll admit its a theoretical answer, as most commercial organization would not risk losing out on iOS users. They're not the biggest group of users, yet some of the most valuable groups of users, commercially speaking.