It’s been a little over a week since Apple released its Safari web browser for Windows. Apple is currently banking its reputation will inspire users to download their browser over the open-source alternative Firefox.

For most people, the addition of another web browser on the market means very little. For geeks like me, it means a third web browser to play with (along with Firefox and Opera). However for small businesses that do design work, the addition of Safari for Windows may equate to a significant cost savings.

Small businesses usually have limited funds for computing infrastructure. I worked for an email marketing company that employed eight employees at its max. The owner of the company went with PC’s over Macs for the employees due to cost. Since the company was serious about having as many people as possible be able to view the emails, a Mac Mini was eventually purchased for a variety of reasons including to see how our design rendered in Safari.

To have the ability to see how web design will look on a Mac without having to shell out the extra cash to purchase the pricy hardware can be huge for a small business owner. While the display of a PC and Mac are different, at least designers can be assured their layout will process as anticipated in all browsers.

I doubt this will stifle Apple sales at least initially, as it is the preferred OS for designers. However, for a small business starting out looking to purchase computers, it makes the choice even more of a no-brainer. As more designers that work for small businesses become accustom to designing on PC’s, it may steal some business away from Apple.