Apple is introducing a version of its Safari Internet browser for Windows, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said last night.
The move by Apple, which has expanded beyond its Macintosh computer core with iPod media players and the upcoming iPhone, could allow the company to control how large numbers of people use the Web at a time when services and programs are increasingly Internet-based.
Mr Jobs also said Apple would let outside developers create applications for the iPhone by tapping Safari, softening the company's previous position that the device would not support other software due to security concerns.
Speaking at Apple's annual developers' conference in San Francisco, Mr Jobs put Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer browser squarely in his sights, saying that test versions of the new Safari 3 were twice as fast at loading web pages.
But investors were disappointed that Mr Jobs - known for his surprise announcements - did not have bigger news to unveil - and Apple shares sank nearly 3.5 per cent, their biggest one-day fall in about four months.
Consumers and investors have been particularly hungry for any iPhone news ahead of the product's June 29th launch for use on AT&T's wireless network. Apple shares fell $4.30 to close at $120.19 on Nasdaq.
The stock has doubled over the past year and has risen 10 per cent in the last month.