macOSX Browsers Safari 6

Safari 6: The "Mountain Lion" Modernization

Released in July 2012 alongside OS X Mountain Lion, Safari 6 was a major evolution that brought the Mac browsing experience closer to the iPhone. For the Chasms.com community, this version is best remembered for simplifying the interface and introducing "cloud-first" features that we now take for granted.

The Smart Search Field

The most striking change was the removal of the separate search box. Following in the footsteps of Chrome, Safari 6 introduced the Smart Search Field.

• Unified Bar: You could now type both website addresses and search queries into a single, elegant bar at the top of the window.

• Streamlined Design: This change gave the browser a much cleaner look, leaving more room for the actual content of the websites you visited.

iCloud Tabs and Reading List

As Apple began to unify its ecosystem, Safari 6 became a bridge between your Mac and your mobile devices:

• iCloud Tabs: For the first time, you could click a small cloud icon to see a list of every website you had open on your iPhone or iPad. You could start reading at your desk and finish on the couch.

• Offline Reading List: The "Reading List" feature was upgraded to save entire webpages locally. This meant you could save an article on Chasms.com and read it later on your MacBook, even without a Wi-Fi connection.

Tab View and Sharing

• Tab View: By pinching your fingers on a trackpad, Safari 6 would zoom out to show a "birds-eye view" of all your open tabs as large, live thumbnails.

• The Share Button: A new dedicated "Share" button was added next to the address bar, allowing you to instantly send a link via Mail, Messages, or even post it directly to Twitter without leaving the page.

• Do Not Track: Safari 6 was a pioneer in privacy, adding a new "Do Not Track" preference to help users opt out of being followed by advertisers across the web.

A Faster, Smoother Web

With a refined Nitro JavaScript engine and improved support for HTML5, Safari 6 made the web feel incredibly fluid. It was the version that proved a desktop browser could be as intuitive and socially connected as a smartphone app.