Having expanded its potential customer base dramatically, Safari 3 could be set to challenge Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and Firefox 2 for dominance of the browser market.

And according to Apple, Safari 3 is twice as fast at loading pages as IE7 and 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2.

"We think Windows users are going to be really impressed when they see how fast and intuitive web browsing can be with Safari," said Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive.

Safari offers features IE7 or Firefox users will be familiar with, such as tabbed browsing, RSS feeds and pop-up blocking. It is compatible with Windows XP and Vista, as well as Mac OS X version 10.4.9 or later.

This is not the first time Apple has brought out cross-platform software, previously offering a way to run the Windows operating system on Mac hardware using a program known as Boot Camp. The popular iTunes software is familiar to many people with Windows PCs.

"Hundreds of millions of Windows users already use iTunes, and we look forward to turning them on to Safari's superior browsing experience too," said Jobs.

Internet Explorer and Firefox traditionally battle for the top position in the browser market, but with a new challenger now available on both Windows and Mac platforms this could change.

Analyst Michael Gartenberg from Jupiter Research thinks Apple has made a good move by making Safari run on Windows.

"This is a great strategic move by Apple that will push its technology further on to the Windows platform. Expect a response [from Microsoft]," Gartenberg said.

The most recent figures put IE's market share at around 79 per cent, with Firefox on 14 per cent. Safari had a market share of just under five per cent but was previously only usable by Mac owners.

Update: According to Apple, there were more than one million downloads within the first 48 hours that the beta was available.

www.apple.com/safari/download

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