On Thursday, Apple released the Safari 4 Beta to the public, and I was one of those who took a bite. There have been a few UI changes, which some will not like, and also some major improvements to the speed and performance of the browser. Personally, I have always preferred Safari and have always used it as my default browser since I got my first Mac. Let’s take a look at what’s new with my, and possibly your, favorite browser.

Top Sites

One of my favorite additions to the browser is the addition of Top Sites, which gives you an “Apple TV-esque” view of the sites you visit most. You can control the amount of sites shown from Small (24), Medium (12) and Large (6). In the Top Sites View, you can even choose to hold a favorite site on the grid in a specific spot. This is great so that whenever you open the browser you will always know where the site you want to visit is. Another great feature of the Top Sites view is the fact that is shows you what sites have changed since the last time you visited them. All Safari does is put a Blue Tab + Star at the top of the preview image.

Cover Flow

With Apple’s mission to incorporate Cover Flow into every facet of their operating system, Safari 4 has not been left out. In both the History & Bookmark Views, you can now see a preview of the site exactly as it looked when you last visited it. If you know how to use Cover Flow in iTunes, you will know how to use it in Safari. Personally, I have never found Cover Flow useful until Safari 4. Whenever I look at my bookmarks or search through my history I no longer have to look at the Title to guess which page it was I wanted to visit; all I have to do now is look at the Site Preview.

Tabs:

One of the biggest UI changes to the browser was Apple’s decision to move the tabs from below the bookmark’s bar to the space above the address bar. It seems this idea was taken directly from Google’s Chrome Browser, but there may be more use to this than you think. By changing the location of the tabs, Apple has given you more room to see the page you are viewing; and as a blogger + web designer, I know that every ounce of screen space is precious. This new interface is even carried through to Windows Vista & XP for a much better look and feel when using a PC.

Miscellaneous

• Full Page Zoom
  • The new Safari scales images and text as you zoom into the page to get a better look.
• Smart Address Field
  • Similar to Firefox, the new address field will try to guess what address you are trying to find, and offers suggestions if one can’t be found.
• Smart Search
  • Google-Served-Suggestions to help you find what you are looking for, as well as a quick-search through your recent history.