Apple has released its latest Safari Technology Preview, a version of its Mac Safari web browser that is used as a way to get experimental features into the hands of testers before making them available to a wider audience.
This latest release is Safari Technology Preview 171, and it can now be downloaded from Apple's servers for free should you want to take it for a spin.
However, most people should probably leave the testing to developers and those who build websites — Safari Technology Preview releases are rarely about adding fancy new features, instead tweaking the underlying browser technology.
What's new?
Apple's Safari Technology Preview release notes detail what's gone into this new release including changes to Web Inspector, CSS, CSS Counter Styles, Web Animations, Rendering, Javascript, Popover, Web API, Media, Accessibility, and SVG support.
Those who do install the macOS Safari Technology Preview can continue to use their normal Safari browser alongside it, with both versions functioning independently.
We can expect to see new things from Safari next week, during the WWDC 2023 opening keynote on June 5. The event will likely see the unveiling of macOS 14, complete with a new version of the Safari web browser among other things.
The same event is expected to see Apple announce iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, both also very likely to have their own Safari tweaks independent of those that are made on the Mac.
While initial beta versions of those software updates are expected to be made available to developers on June 5, the releases won't be ready for the public until much later in the year. If Apple follows its own release pattern we can likely expect the updates to land in or around September of October, depending on the development cycle.
