Apple recently released the first public beta version of Safari 4 for Mac OS X and Windows platforms. Safari 4 is the second version of Safari for Windows systems.

The new Apple browser, which copies several features from Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers, claims to have as many as 150 new features (some improvisations of old ones) including a revamped user interface.

Here's looking into the all-new Apple Safari 4.

Speed is something that all web browsers are aiming to outdo each other in. Apple claims Safari 4 to be the world's fastest Web browser.

According to the company, Safari 4's Nitro JavaScript engine makes it up to 30 times faster than Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3, and Google Chrome.

Safari 4 offers users a revamped interface, which looks similar to Google's Chrome on Windows XP systems. The new Safari 4 looks different from its predecessors with overhead tabs that can be dragged around and rearranged or users can drag them out and create new browser windows. And, as in previous versions, Safari 4 can merge all of your open windows into one multi-tabbed window.

Similar to Google Chrome, the tabs for individual browser windows have shifted to the top, above the address bar. The title bar now has new tabs displayed instead of in a traditional tabs bar under the address field.

The browser features a new preview for favorite websites and new tabs. Called Top Sites, the new feature lets users preview a listing of favorite websites without navigating to a new screen. It also presents 24 thumbnails on a single page for better viewing. The feature supports grid-style snap-and-place which is fully customisable.

Google Chrome too offers a similar feature, however, Apple's iteration adds a 3D display and its iPhone-like ability to rearrange sites. Pages that have been updated since the user last visited them are marked with a blue star in the corner.

The Cover Flow feature found on iTunes, iPhone or iPod Touch while viewing media files debuts on Safari 4. "Cover Flow" provides easy reviewing of site history and bookmarked websites.

Similar to Top Sites, it presents previews on what the pages looked like when a user visited them. The Web browser uses advanced caching to display the websites exactly the way they were shown during visits.