[imagesource:youtube/apple]

When it comes to using an iPhone, there’s no shortage of browsers to choose from. Yet, the overwhelming majority gravitate toward either Chrome or Safari, two giants locked in an ever-intensifying battle.

The competition has reached a boiling point, fueled by the tangled, often hostile relationship between Apple and Google.

Recently, Apple upped the ante with a chilling new attack ad, and it’s only going to make things more complicated. While it doesn’t outright call for a boycott of Chrome, the message is crystal clear — a bold and unapologetic strike at Google’s browser for its heavy reliance on tracking cookies. The ad proclaims Safari as “a browser that’s actually private,” throwing down the gauntlet in the war for your data.

Cue an Alfred Hitchcockian Birds nightmare on your phone:

Currently, 30% of iPhone users are running Chrome as its default browser, and Google wants to up this to 50%, according to a report from The Information. That would equate to another 300 million iOS devices, and in a time when keeping people loyal to apps is the most direct path to revenue, Apple does not want to lose this majority grip on iPhone browser usage.

So the company seems to have hatched a plan to prey on the two key problems with using its competition, per Tom’s Guide:

1. Chrome’s hunger for tracking cookies: You’ve seen it all over the internet — those pop-ups that ask whether you accept third-party cookies. Once you go into the privacy settings of Chrome, you’ll probably be stunned by the many thousands of sites tracking your whereabouts on the internet. Even worse, they look set to be around until 2025 according to Google’s Privacy Sandbox report.
2. Incognito mode is not private: This is one of a few different features of Chrome where the Mountain View company has said it cares about privacy, but its actions are a little different. For example, Google promises security in its Incognito Mode but then had to admit this privacy shield isn’t really that private in a $5 billion class-action lawsuit.

These are the very things Safari destroys from the outset — blocking cross-site tracking by default, and even hiding your IP address (if you’re subscribed to iCloud+).

It’s a strategic move that gives Apple the perfect platform to pounce on its competition, stirring up fear and doubt with each new ad. In this battle for privacy, Apple is painting itself as the vigilant protector, making sure users know that their data is safer with them — and not with Google.

Speaking of Apple absolutely crushing it, Digicape, South Africa’s largest independent Apple retailer, currently has one of the biggest sales of the year – and it is not even Black Friday yet.

Save up to R22,000 at Digicape. From big savings – to free gifts, you don’t want to miss out on their best deals right now.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Digicape (@digicapesa)

Head over to Digicape to shop now and then, don’t forget to choose your browser wisely.

[source:tomsguide]