Apple Computeris partnership with AOL/Netscape has come to an end, as the Mac maker switched its Safari browser default home page late Wednesday replacing it with a portal full of promotional ads and links.
Safari users can no longer use the Netscape-produced page. The new page, located at apple.com/startpage, replaces and redirects users from the AOL/Netscape livepage.apple.com Web address.
Apple teamed up with AOL/Netscape three years ago to create a more streamlined page, with news, weather, and sports scores, Apple links and ads dotting the page. Now, users are presented with Apple-produced, iHot Newsi stories, top third-party downloads, the top 10 iTunes songs, and links to .Mac services.
Users wanting to change the default page can do so by going to their Preferences menu and replacing the Home Page link under General preferences with another favorite Web address.