Mac OS X Tiger, Apple’s next operating system release, will include a
RSS aggregator as part of Safari. Support for “RSS 0.9, RSS 1, RSS 2 and Atom.” Apple has a
movie online demonstrating the new RSS functions. Interesting that Atom is a side note on a supported format list.
What does the bundling of an RSS aggregator with a Mac OS mean for independent software developers? Safari RSS, in its current form, looks like
Bloglines. Desktop applications will have a year to innovate and make their products more attractive to power users. There is still room for applications like
NetNewsWire.
I hope RSS support becomes as widely used as Apple’s Web Kit or shared Address Book. .Mac synchronization of subscription lists makes sense. So does identification of authors through an Address Book reference (like Opera).
[Update: An hour into
the video presentation Steve Jobs gives a demonstration of Safari RSS for six minutes. Includes grouping and tabbed browsing.]