Apple takes a few cues from Chrome with latest Safari updates

While news of Apple’s latest Macbook Pro, iOS 6, and Siri upgrades are sure to dominate headlines, the company is also making some big changes to Safari.

One of the larger updates is Safari’s new unified universal search. Channeling Google and Chrome, Apple is combining Safari’s search and URL bars. With the new feature, browser history, bookmarks, and the web can all be searched from a single field.

Apple has also added a feature called iCloud Tabs, which, when linked with a user’s iCloud account, allows them to sync tabs across computers and devices. This is identical to a feature Google introduced to Chrome last month.

Apple has also updated Safari with a new scrolling architecture, which the company says make scrolling “smooth and lighting fast.”

Rounding out the new developments are native Twitter and Facebook integration, which will make sharing links significantly easier. Stay tuned for more on Apple’s intense cozying-up to Facebook; we’ve got details coming live from WWDC all morning.