Today Apple announced the release of Safari for Windows. Clearly this will not have any major impact on browser usage statistics. If Apple did not release it to gain market share then why did they? There’s a saying:

If Mohammed will not go to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed.

Apple didn’t released a Windows version of Safari for the average web user, they’ve done it for the average web developer. By releasing Safari for Windows they have significantly reduced the barrier that has, until now, prevented many web developers from checking that their websites work correctly with Safari.

But why now? Why not two years ago? Two years ago Apple wasn’t about to release the iPhone. To make the iPhone work commercially they need to sell it as more than just a phone that can play music. They need to sell it as a device that can keep you connected via email and the web. Most web developers are willing to check their web site with multiple browsers but didn’t have a way to check it with Safari. Apple has now provided this just weeks before the iPhone goes on sale giving developers enough time to download Safari and fix their websites so they work on the iPhone the day it is release.

Sadly, as a Linux based web developer I’m still left out in the cold.