Mozilla Showcases Ipad Browser Prototype Named Junior
Mozilla has been missing from the Apple iOS party for some time and has not offered an alternative to Safari as it has in the PC world. However, all that is about to change as Mozilla showcased an initial version of Junior, a web browser for the iPad that has been spearheaded by the company’s Product Design Strategy. On Thursday, June 15, Mozilla’s Alex Limi made a presentation that showcased the prototype of Junior which the company thinks will give users a unique experience on the iPad when they surf the net.
According to Limi, using Apple’s Safari on the iPad is “a pretty miserable experience.” Mozilla plans to change that by giving users the option to use Junior, which is essentially a browser that only has the essentials and is designed to improve the viewing and browsing experience on the iPad. The simple browser does not have an address bar and tab section that is associated with Firefox, Mozilla’s PC based browser. Instead, Mozilla has chosen to go with a full screen that only displays a back button and a menu button. The menu contains users’ favorites, recent pages and a search bar. Of course the browser is not just a bare bones version of Firefox and still has the reload button, forward and print page functions. These are however not one click away and need to be accessed separately.
Another interesting function that Junior is implementing is user accounts. This will help multiple users use the same device and keep their browsing info separate and safe. The prototype still has a long way to go and the developers are probably experimenting with different functionalities to see what works best while keeping in mind the purpose of their iPad browser. Junior is probably not going to be available soon but competition seems to be on the way already. According to Limi, Google and its Chrome browser are also headed to the iPad. iPad users should expect their online browsing experience to become a lot more interesting in the near future as these companies eventually launch their products for public consumption.
