"According to Apple, Safari offers "blazing performance" in the context in which "performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection, and other factors." " - actually it shows comparison graphs, naturally any browser would depend on the hardware it runs on as well as on connection speed to download that page it is supposed to show... again same bogus journalism.

"Users will apparently also love the..." yeah, that's right - it doesn't offer anything significantly better than existing browsers in terms of features.

"Well, the first and foremost reason why you should stay away from Safari 3 is the fact that the browser is a beta." Well, at least unlike Microsoft with "Vista" they call it "beta" - beta means "not a final product" criticizing beta for not having the features of a final product is silly.

"Mozilla for example offers Gran Paradiso Alpha 5, a testing milestone for Firefox 3. But Mozilla has enough responsibility to advise users not to deploy Gran Paradiso Alpha 5 except in testing scenarios. Apple does not." Omg, idiots users would rush to grab the beta and nobody would warn them against it... And they're just so stupid that they don't know what "beta" means...

"Furthermore, the Cupertino-based company also praised the fact that a beta product, thus inherently full of bugs and vulnerabilities, was downloaded in excess of a million times. " Lol, of course - even as a beta with KNOWN vulnerabilities and "issues" it is popular to get that many downloads. :)

"Second, Safari 3 security is not what it was applauded to be. Instead of a browser secure from day one, Safari offered eight security vulnerabilities just on the first day." It isn't released yet - it is a beta. Same barking... :)

"Developing a product for Windows Vista means offering a user interface designed to integrate seamlessly with the operating system's style, not an alien look after a forced transition from Mac OS X with clunky font rendering. " Degustus Non Est Disputandum apple is know for best design of its hardware and software - Vista "boasts" a look inferior to what one could get with "Talisman" since about win 98, could be 2000, don't remember anymore... Some people simply want the mac look :)

As to search engine - well, frankly people use google and yahoo, people don't use microsoft live search and when they do - it is those, who can't change to google in that searchbar coz it is still too complicated for some...
As to customization yes, real problem.
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All in all I'm only wondering if this article is written by someone who genuinely hates Safari or the journalist is paid for this kind of perspective. In either case it doesn't work out, though this version is a better try.

Bad rendering, bad html support, no plugins... Then, result is faster browser.

it is beta, - don't expect all the goodies of a final product.

"However, limiting user choice is an Apple trademark, after all, all you need is a single edition of the Mac OS X operating system, because it's simpler this way... "
AHAHAHAHAH you think that it's better to have 14 versions of OS?
that a 800$ Ultimate Vista worth it?

Try Tiger and forget Windows. 129$.

He is just talking nonsense. An extra browser for Windows appears and he is lashing out with "uh, limiting choice"... Firefox, IE, Opera all work under MacOS - choose w/e you like.