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A while back, a startup called The Browser Company of New York launched a new web browser for the Mac and iOS platforms called Arc. The Chromium-based browser has been available only with an invite, but today, the company launched Arc version 1.0 and made the browser generally available for all Mac and iOS users to download.
Some of the things that make the Arc browser different from the many others you can try out are its built-in apps, including a notepad and an easel function for drawing, typing, and capturing screenshots of websites.
It also allows users to access what is called “boosts”. They let users customize websites in certain ways, such as removing buttons or art. Users can also customize the background color of the Arc browser.
The biggest way Arc sets itself apart from others is that its URL address bar is placed on the left side of the browser, instead of the top. It’s also used for the search bar and tabs. Website tabs can also be organized into “spaces” in the browser for fast access. Tabs can be pinned as well on the sidebar, similar to bookmarks.
Other features include a picture-in-picture mode that supports Google Meet, along with an ad blocker. Arc is supposed to be a secure browser, with no cookies support and a pledge not to share search data with others.
Earlier this year, The Browser Company announced plans to bring Arc to Windows. It will be built using Apple’s Swift programming language.
Right now you can go to the Arc site and sign up for the Windows version waitlist. The site says the Windows port will launch sometime in “winter 2023” which likely means we will get it before the end of the year.
There’s no word on if there will be an invite-only model for the Windows port like The Browser Company did for its Mac version.
