New version of the preview browser now up for grabs

Nov 16, 2017 10:46 GMT  ·  By

Apple has just released an update for Safari Technology Preview, its own browser that allows developers to try out new features before they are shipped to everyone as part of stable builds.

The changelog, which you can find in full in the box after the jump, includes fixes for Payment Request, which is now enabled by default, support for parsing conic gradients, fixes for CSS and rendering, Web Inspector refinements, and other tweaks that should come in handy to developers.

Safari Technology Preview 44 can be installed on both macOS Sierra and macOS High Sierra, so make sure you download the correct version should you want to try out the application. On the good side, the Technology Preview can be used side by side with the stable version of Safari and it does not require a developer account to be installed.

All-in on feedback

In case you’re wondering why Apple released an early version of its browser, it’s because the company wants to collect feedback from experienced users and developers ahead of pushing certain features to production devices.

This is an approach similar to Microsoft’s, who is also shipping Windows 10 builds early as part of the Windows Insider program ahead of public launches that include a plethora of changes.

This strategy basically makes it possible for tech companies to get feedback on their future products by testing new software on a bigger number of systems with various configurations, reducing the number of bugs and compatibility issues that might be experienced when final versions are shipped.

In the case of Safari Technology Preview, the browser was first rolled out in March 2016 and it received several updates since then, all of which can be found on Softpedia here.

As usual, keep in mind that this is an early version of Safari that could still come with bugs and other issues, so you’re not supposed to use it as your daily browser.

Safari Technology Preview 44