Safari has been my default browser for about a week and I'm still happy. My impressions:

I like the brushed metal look of the browser. Some have been concerned that it violates Apple's own UI Prime Directive, but it works for me. It gives the browser an understated, yet elegant appearance. Slick is the word I'm looking for.

The performance of the browser feels very snappy and I've had few problems with poorly rendered pages. The fact that Safari team member Dave Hyatt has been so open and responsive on his Surfin' Safari weblog gives me confidence that any issues will be taken care of quickly. I hope Apple's PR Department is giving him a stipend.

Safari's bookmark manager is the best I've seen in a browser and the snapback feature is quite useful. However, like most people, I'm hoping tabs will be implemented soon. James Duncan Davidson pointed to an interesting twist to tabs, thought up by D'Arcy Norman (screen mock-up here). This idea appeals to me in that it would take advantage of my 15" TiBook's screen real estate, where vertical space is limited. It would also allow for the sorting of open pages and perhaps even a way to organize open pages into groups. It will be interesting to see what the Safari team comes up with if they decide to add tabs.

3:58:30 PM