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Mozilla finally release Firefox web browser for iOS

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It’s been a long time coming, but Mozilla Firefox is finally available on iOS.

After years of declining to produce an iOS app, the popular desktop web browser started development earlier this year and has been in beta testing in New Zealand since September. Now, at long last, it’s available for public consumption.

One of the reasons Mozilla dawdled for so long before releasing Firefox on iOS is Apple’s insistence that any web browsing app must be made using WebKit, the engine Safari is built on. SlashGear say that while this wasn’t such an issue for other third-party browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox on desktop has always used a bespoke web rendering engine and Mozilla wasn’t keen to deviate from the framework that gave its software an edge in terms of performance.

With the playing field near enough leveled in terms of performance, Firefox will have to rely on its other features, or its interface design, to convince users to switch from Safari or Chrome. Mozilla say the app’s main draws are its intelligent search, private browsing and intuitive visual tabs. The real selling point might be the device syncing: many who use Firefox on a Mac or PC have been waiting patiently for an iOS app, and with a Firefox account they can share browsing info between devices.

It’s a little late to the game, but Firefox is still a relatively big player in the web browsing business – and you can download it now from the App Store.