Member-only story
The New Hipster Browser — Arc for MacOS
This feels like a browser Apple should have made.
Arc browser is an innovative browser that challenges Google Chrome on MacOS. It brings a breath of fresh air into the browser game that hasn't changed much in the last few years.
I switched from Safari to the Arc browser two weeks ago. Here are its main features and what I like about them!
Sidebar instead of a top bar
Arc features an unorthodox layout: a sidebar instead of a traditional search + tabs at the top. This is by far its hipsteriest feature and gives it its distinct look.
Arc actually saves screen space
I measured everything so you don't have to. Despite being way slimmer, Safari top bar actually takes up 8.7% of the entire screen compared to Arc's 5%! Arc scores better in this regard and, that's including the fancy borders it gives you around the web page :)
Another thing is that most of the content we consume on the web is organized into a vertical layout. This means that vertical space is precious, and you should sacrifice it carefully.
A thing I noticed — Arc wants you to use fullscreen. Press Cmd+S to toggle the sidebar. I never really used browser in fullscreen mode before — but I do now! This gives you even more content space. Yay!
The Search Bar Doubles as a Command Bar
This shows that the makers of Arc know their audience well. Spotlight search is a legendary feature that MacOS users love. Arc features a similar functionality — for controlling your browser. Pressing Cmd + T summons a window in the middle of your screen, and Arc cleverly suggests what you might want to do.
The command bar can do many things:
- Switch to a tab — great for finding that one stackoverflow answer you know…
