The familiar refrain "Safari is the new IE" echoes through web development forums, often sparked by frustration over missing support for the latest CSS grid feature or JavaScript API. While Apple has significantly accelerated its implementation of new web standards, a deeper structural issue persists, fundamentally impacting when developers can actually use these features in production: Safari's update mechanism is intrinsically shackled to operating system upgrades.

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Unlike Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and other major browsers that update silently and independently in the background, Safari on both macOS and, critically, iOS, only receives its engine updates when the user installs a full OS update. This creates a distinct disadvantage:

  1. The Update Divide:

    • Independent Browsers: Update automatically, frequently, and transparently. Users often don't even know they're running the latest version.
    • Safari: Requires a deliberate, often time-consuming OS upgrade process. While Apple users adopt new OS versions relatively quickly, a significant long tail remains.

  2. The Long Tail Problem: On iOS especially, this long tail stretches far longer than for any other browser platform. As noted in the source analysis, "some 5% will still be on a version that doesn't support that CSS feature you'd like to use." This 5% (or often higher for enterprises or specific demographics) frequently represents a user base too large to ignore, forcing developers to delay adoption or implement complex fallbacks.

  3. Shifting the 'Widely Supported' Milestone: This isn't about Safari lacking features in its latest version. It's about the practical reality that the Safari version developers can reliably target lags significantly behind the latest available release. As the source insightfully points out, "this is shifting the 'widely supported' milestone by 1-2 years for every feature that comes out."

The CanIUse.com Reality Check

Open any feature page on CanIUse.com, and the pattern is stark. While Chrome, Firefox, and Edge show near-immediate near-100% adoption spikes after a feature lands, Safari's adoption curve is a slow, gradual climb tied directly to iOS and macOS upgrade cycles. This single browser often becomes the primary gatekeeper holding back widespread usage of new web capabilities.

The EU Intervention: A Potential Game Changer

The impending enforcement of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), forcing Apple to allow third-party browser engines on iOS, could fundamentally alter this dynamic. The most significant impact might not just be choice, but liberation from the OS-update bottleneck. As the source suggests, "the biggest change will arguably be that it will now be possible to have an auto-updating browser that isn't tied to the OS version on iPhones." Browsers like Chrome or Firefox on iOS could potentially update their engines independently, dramatically accelerating real-world feature support on Apple's mobile platform.

Beyond the 'New IE' Label

Labeling Safari "the new IE" oversimplifies the problem. Internet Explorer's decline was marked by outright stagnation and refusal to implement standards. Safari's issue is different: it's an operational constraint inherent in its distribution model. The features arrive, but their practical availability to the web developer's target audience is delayed by the mechanics of OS updates and user upgrade behavior. Recognizing this distinction is crucial for understanding the true friction point in modern web development and anticipating how regulatory shifts might finally unlock faster progress.

Source Analysis: Insights derived from Safari's Disadvantage: Updates Tied to the OS by Alvar Lagerlöf.