Skip to main content

Apple tests Google graphics format to speed up websites

Beta versions of the Safari browser support Google's WebP. It's an alternative to more standard image files like JPEG and GIF that could make web pages easier to download




Apple's Safari browser runs on iPhones, iPads and Macs.
Apple's Safari browser runs on iPhones, iPads and Macs.Apple

Apple has begun trial runs with a Google graphics technology in a significant endorsement for an effort get websites to load faster.
Support for that technology, an image format known as WebP, is built into test versions of iOS 10 and MacOS Sierra, the forthcoming editions of Apple's core software for iPhones, iPads and Macs. But WebP support is by no means certain: the beta versions aren't a commitment, and Apple could choose to remove WebP support when the final versions of the software ship in the coming weeks.
If Apple does choose to enable WebP, Safari users and eventually others could see some websites load faster. Facebook, for example, embraced WebP after the social network found the images are 25 percent to 35 percent smaller than JPEG, the most common image format. Google uses it extensively, too, saying its YouTube web page loads 10 percent faster by using WebP thumbnails.
Smaller file sizes also help people from bumping up against monthly limits on mobile phone data use.
Data compression technology figures prominently as the business idea behind the startup Pied Piper in the satirical TV show "Silicon Valley," but it's important in the real world, too. For example, Google's VP9 video compression technology helps the company deliver higher-resolution video on YouTube, andDropbox developed its own image compression format, Lepton, so it can store data more cost-effectively.
Adding new image formats to the web isn't an easy decision for browser makers. Doing so adds more complexity and potential security problem to browsers. And once the web uses them widely, browser makers essentially must support those formats forever.
WebP is designed as an alternative not just to JPEG but also to the animated version of another decades-old format, GIF, and to PNG, a format that's convenient for graphical elements like logos. PNG has the useful ability to make part of an image is transparent, but it's poorly suited to compressing photos. WebP is good for photos and offers transparency, and animated WebP images are dramatically smaller than animated GIF images.
Apple's WebP support in its beta software, spotted in Mozilla's bug and feature tracking site and confirmed by CNET, doesn't extend to animated WebP, though.
And WebP doesn't have everyone convinced. Google was first to embrace WebP in its Chrome browser, and its support carries to smaller-name browsers including Opera, Brave and Vivaldi that use Chrome's core engine. But WebP support is "not currently planned" in Microsoft's older Internet Explorer browser and new Edge browser, and the company didn't comment further.
Firefox maker Mozilla in 2013 analyzed WebP and other JPEG alternatives but wasn't persuaded it offered a compelling advantage. Instead, it tried to improve JPEG compression. But the organization hasn't closed the door on WebP, and if Apple supports WebP, that could help coax Mozilla on board. That, in turn, could encourage web programmers to adopt the image format.
"We've always considered shipping WebP if other browsers than Chrome were going to ship it," said Martin Best, Mozilla's director of platform product management, in a statement. If Apple ships software with WebP support, "it makes it more likely that the rest of the web will support this format too, us included."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ChatSim 2 Launched With Unlimited Internet Access and Messaging, to Be Showcased at MWC 2018

25 February 2018, Shivashish Bhunia Before Reading this up,  just check out my Bestie's Page For Amazing Quotes and Poetry Content!  https://www.theparadoxwhowritez.blogspot.com HIGHLIGHTS The second-gen variant offers access for all mobile apps in its core plan World premiere of ChatSim 2 will take place at MWC 2018 in Barcelona It provides unlimited to messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat SIM card provider ChatSim on Thursday announced the launch of its latest ChatSim 2 SIM card in Milan, Italy. The second generation of the company's proprietary SIM card now claims to offer Internet surfing with "free and unlimited data traffic." The SIM card can provide data access without limitations, roaming charges, or Wi-Fi connectivity. The annual plan also lets you send text messages across 165 countries. ChatSim 2 will have its world premiere at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona from February 26-March 1, and more ...
1 comment
Read more

Hello Moto: A Look Back at Six Classic Moto Phones

  12 December 2016 HIGHLIGHTS Motorola was the first company to ship a cellphone Its biggest hit was the Moto RAZR V3 Today, Motorola is a part of Chinese electronics giant Lenovo Recently, we relived the past with Nokia’s most memorable phones of all time. Although there may be a lot of fanboys and fangirls of the Finnish brand, many have equally strong feelings for the daddy of all mobile phone brands - Motorola. Its name will forever be etched in history as the  first company  to sell a mobile phone - the DyanTAC 8000X - in 1983. Since then, Motorola has been an easily identifiable brand to almost everybody in the world. Its designs were often strikingly unique and at the same time, Motorola phones often gave out a vibe that these devices mean business. Today, we’ve handpicked some of the most memorable Motorola phones we’ve come across. Here are our picks for the six most memorable Motorola phones of all time. 1) Motorola ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Today's Special---Cyber Monday Deals From Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, eBay, GameStop, Target, and Others

  28 November 2016 HIGHLIGHTS After Black Friday, sales continue on products with Cyber Monday Products are likely to run out of stock, so if you like something, get it All major stores are participating in Cyber Monday sales The weekend is over, but the Black Friday deals sure aren't. The only thing that’s changed is the name – Cyber Monday is here to provide discounts on items from all the biggest brands. Here’s a round-up of the best Cyber Monday deals available from big retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, GameStop, and Target right now: Amazon Amazon Echo  at $139.99, instead of $179.99 This always-listening speaker comes with a friendly assistant called Alexa who can help you with recipes, play music, or just answer interesting bits of trivia. Amazon Tap  at $89.99, instead of $129.99 If you’d like a portable version of the Amazon Echo, the Amazon Tap is what you should be getting. The only downside is that it isn’t alw...
Post a Comment
Read more