Apple's underhanded Safari download scheme pays off

Back in March, Apple began tricking Windows users into downloading Safari via a method that Mozilla CEO John Lilly said "borders on malware distribution practices." Malware or not, the scheme paid off for Apple, tripling the use of Safari on Windows in a single month.

According to Web metrics company Net Applications, use of Safari 3.1 on Windows tripled from March to April, going from 0.07% to 0.21%, by far the biggest jump Safari has ever gained.

Net Applications attributes all of that growth to the malware-like tactics employed by Apple. Apple used the iTunes updater to install Safari by default, rather than just updating iTunes. As I explain in my blog, many people, including Lilly, said the tactics were underhanded, and bordered on malware.

Because of the to-do, Apple slightly modified the Safari-iTunes download scheme, and now lists Safari as "new" software that has not yet been installed. So at least people now know they're downloading something new, not an iTunes update.

But even that hasn't satisfied the critics. iTunes leaves that "new" box checked, so Safari will still be downloaded by default. Computerworld quotes Asa Dotzler, Mozilla's director of community development, as saying "Now Apple needs [to] stop checking the box for 'New Software' items by default."

Don't expect Apple to change. The controversy has died down, and its Safari-iTunes scheme has worked.

Ironically, despite that scheme, overall Safari use -- which includes Mac as well as PC -- took a precipitous drop between Mark and April, from 5.82% to 5.51%, giving Safari the lowest market share it's had since November 2007, according to Net Trends.

So in the overall scheme of things, despite Apple's tricks, Safari remains an also-ran.

Like this blog? Subscribe to the RSS feed!