Yahoo, Inc Doesn’t Get It
I have been reading the raves lately about the new and improved Yahoo! website. I had seen the screen shots a few weeks back. Today I decided to check it out for myself at yahoo.com. I clicked on the link to find:
Now, at least the message is nicer than some others that I have seen.
Why is it that developing to be accessible to all is an afterthought to these companies? I know there is the ROI argument (and it makes sense) - but is there something that great about your technology (something that Google is already strides ahead of them, anyway) that you have the power to eliminate a set of potential users, customers, and sources of revenue?
It doesn’t make sense to me. And now (though I am only one), Yahoo! has lost my support as a customer and user as well. The message was sent plain and clear: “You use Safari, you are not important to us — but hey, we support some other browsers.”
6 Comments Add your comment
Nathan Smith May 17th, 2006
If that were the "official" launch of the new Yahoo, I think there would be reason to explain. However, you have to look at it from their standpoint: IE is the most widely used browser. Firefox is multi-platform. Safari, while a cool browser, has more buggy JavaScript implimentation than either IE or Firefox, so they're developing for the largest amount of people possible, and then (I assume) will go through and tweak for Safari.
Nate Klaiber May 17th, 2006
From a business perspective, it does make perfect sense to me - no doubt about it. And yes, granted, it is still in its beta phase. I run into this with pretty much EVERYTHING Google launches - that its not compatible with Safari. Now, I have all browsers on my computer - but I CHOOSE Safari. Firefox is nice for development and testing, but its speed is a little sluggish compared to Safari, so for daily browsing I will use Safari.
I just get irritated when companies eliminate a group of people because of technology. As a Mac user I guess I should be used to that by now, but I still find it frustrating. Hopefully they will be like Google, and release something quickly for the Safari users - and make it degradeable to work without JS.
I guess it really does come down to the almighty dollar and ROI (which is how businesses normally run - to make money).
Well, I can just hope the Apple market picks up so we don't get ignored for using Safari.
In other news - its still raining in Ohio, as it has been for the past week and one day. ha.
Sean Fraser May 23rd, 2006
I use Safari. I like Firefox but, as you say, I use it for development and testing. I've got a PC that I use for development and testing, too. I - Personally - don't care if I can use the new Ajaxy Yahoo: search engines are search engines.
I believe that Yahoo! should be commended for its incremental advances to web standards.
Nate Klaiber May 23rd, 2006
RE: Sean
We are in the same boat. The Ajax is nice, but I could do without it and be just fine.
Now, my initial frustration has passed with the 'No Safari' screenshot above. However, after testing it in Firefox - it left me unimpressed. There is just something about google - and that is it WORKS. I could care less, and the idea of a website as a portal to everything else just doesn't appeal to me. No matter what, I won't use yahoo as my 'home page' for my browser. I have an RSS reader (actually, Safari) that I use to check my feeds everyday. To me, the new yahoo is still cluttered, but just a little more snappy with the use of ajax. I do like the new look/feel as well.
I agree, they should be commended for advances. Its more than we can say for some other companies *cough..Microsoft...cough*
Chris Hattery May 26th, 2006
The funny think about that too, is Safari gets it right, alot more than IE. It just shows the ignorance in the thinking behind yahoo. (secrectly may be owned by microsoft, to help boost product unreliability.) The people who spent all that time and money in college and call themselves marketers missed the whole thing where Apple is big, and getting bigger, especially with the AMD thing, and Safari being Mac's default browser...."Hey, you think we should shoot to keep Mac users happy?" Nah, they can use Internet Explorer:mac.
Nate Klaiber May 26th, 2006
Chris, what's even more depressing about that is IE for mac (5) is officially dead and unsupported by MS. So - Safari IS the default browser and the end user would have to know to download FF. That would seem likely, except that - as statistics are showing - people still don't know how to get away from their default 'blue E' (they may not even know there ARE other options).