I also considered Google Chrome. However, the last time I tried it, I couldn't get it to work properly when uploading stories to iTWire. I'm not sure if it's ready for prime time in a business setting just yet.

I had the latest version of Safari on my desktop and in desperation I decided to give it a try. I had looked at Apple's browser many iterations ago in the early days of its Windows release and decided at the time that it was no match for Firefox. However, that was then.

The minute I loaded up Safari I was pleasantly surprised. It was lightning fast, the interface was sharp, intuitive and easy to configure to my requirements, and after using Safari for a number of days I can say with a reasonable degree of confidence that it is very stable.

As a result, I have completely made the switch to Safari.

I have never been a huge fan of Apple. It's probably a personality thing - the Steve Jobs cult, the centralised control, the perceived arrogance of Apple management, the hefty cost of hardware and software and so on. That said, there is something to be said for software and hardware that just works - a long time Apple boast.

After this experience, I am going to revisit my hardware requirements and take a closer look at Apple once again. I have just had an expensive high-end mobile phone fail irreparably after less than six months, the carrier refuses to honour the manufacturer's warranty and we're now in dispute. But that's another story.