The Browser Company, a startup that"s been developing its own web browser called Arc, is finally letting some people try out the long-awaited Windows version. As posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the first beta invites to try out the Windows port are now being sent out.
It starts today.
— The Browser Company (@browsercompany) December 11, 2023
The first Arc on Windows beta invites are out - and yours is coming soon.
💥 isarconwindowsyet [dot] com pic.twitter.com/3n7ucU11Rh
We have received one of those emails, and it states that The Browser Company is "onboarding hundreds of beta testers to Arc" over the next several weeks. Starting in 2024, the number of people who will be given a chance to check out Arc will expand to thousands of people who are on the beta waitlist every week. You can sign up for that waitlist at the Arc site.
The Browser Company has been trying out some new ideas for web browsers for the iOS and Mac versions, They include the use of built-in apps like a notepad and more.
The Arc browser also supports what its developers call "boosts", which is supposed to let users customize the look of certain web sites.
In a change from the normal web browser UI design, the Arc browser places the URL address bar on the left side 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 in the iOS and Mac versions of the Arc browser 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.
One other interesting thing is that the Arc browser for Windows was actually developed by using Apple"s Swift programming language.