Macworld noticed a new browser-based component of iTunes released under the radar by Apple. The new service, called iTunes Preview, doesn't provide a traditional preview; it doesn't let you listen to a sample of a song, or see a movie or video clip. Instead, it allows you to share links to movies, TV shows, podcasts, and other iTunes-based content with individuals who don't have iTunes installed on their computer.

Until now, if you sent someone a link to content in the iTunes Store, their copy of iTunes would open and take them to the same iTunes page that you saw. If they didn't have iTunes on their computer, they would simply see a page suggesting they download and install iTunes.

iTunes Preview will render the page in their browser. They won't be able to listen to music or view a video, but the web page will otherwise be very similar to its counterpart in the iTunes Store. Links to preview or buy are replaced by a link to view in iTunes.

Your iTunes-adverse friends can now enjoy your iTunes browsing with you. And who knows, maybe they'll even be tempted to give iTunes a try.

Keith Ward, About's Guide to Windows, points out that according to a recent interview, one Microsoft executive thinks Windows 7 used many design elements from the Mac.

Of course, Microsoft was soon up in arms over the comments from its own personnel, claiming the individual's comments were uninformed and inaccurate. And that he should stop by HR and pick up his things.

OK, I added that last sentence, but hey, it could happen.

Earlier this year, Google said it expected to have a beta version of its Chrome browser available for the Mac before the end of year. It appears that Chrome may be on track for an early December release.

Nick Baum, product manager for Chrome, recently posted on the Chromium mailing list that the beta launch is set for early December. Nick's note specifically addressed a new browser extension called BrowserActions that provides presentation capabilities within the browser. While BrowserActions seems to be working well for Windows and Linux, the Mac version of this extension may not make the grade for the December beta release.

I think most Mac users are more interested in seeing how well the Chrome browser will run on their Macs than in how well the BrowserActions extension works for cross-platform presentations. So, a bit of a delay for a few niceties is fine in my book, as long as we can try out the Chrome browser itself and see how well it stacks up against other Mac browsers.

Apple has released Safari 4.0.4, with improved JavaScript performance, better stability, and improved support for third party plug-ins.

Courtesy of Apple

This update is recommended for all Safari users and includes improvements to performance, stability, and security including:

• Improved JavaScript performance
• Improved Full History Search performance for users with a large number of history items
• Stability improvements for 3rd-party plug-ins, the search field and Yahoo! Mail

For detailed information on the security content of this update, please visit this site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Apple is on a tear, with the Safari update coming less than 24 hours after the Snow Leopard 10.6.2 update, and the recent update to Apple TV.

I'm guessing we can expect the rest of the week to be quiet, at least from an Apple news point of view.

Safari 4.0.4 is available for Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard. You can download it using Software Update in the Apple menu or directly from Apple's web site.