Down But Not Out - JXL Will Return on Safari

JPEG-XL: Down But Not Out - A Welcome Return on Safari

Just as we were coming to terms with the controversial decision by Google to drop support for JPEG-XL (JXL) in Chrome, we received some uplifting news. Apple, in a surprising yet welcome move, announced its support for JXL during the WWDC June 5th livestream. This exciting news serves as a stark reminder that the tale of JXL isn't over; it was down, but not out.

Google's decision to stop JXL support in Chrome had left us, at Peakhour CDN, as well as many other web enthusiasts, somewhat taken aback. Google Chrome, as the most used browser globally, often sets the course for web standards. In deciding to drop JXL, Google appeared to be exercising its dominance over web standards, and this stirred some serious debate in the web community.

But it's not all gloom. Apple's recent announcement has certainly lightened the mood. Known for their leadership in high dynamic colour and high-resolution features, Apple is proving yet again their commitment to visual technologies. By bringing JXL support to Safari, Apple is ensuring that this promising image format gets a fair go.

This move also hints at wider JXL support across the entire Apple ecosystem, which includes iPad, iPhone, Mac, and Apple TV. While there are still some limitations - embedded colour profiles and animations are not yet supported in the current MacOS Sonoma beta - we are hopeful that these kinks will be ironed out soon.

At Peakhour, we're genuinely thrilled with this development. We look forward to welcoming Apple users to our websites, assuring them that they will soon experience the superior quality of JXL images as soon as their operating systems support it.

This turn of events has given JXL a much-needed boost, showing it's a resilient player, ready to get back up and fight. As Google and Apple square off in the web standards ring, we're keenly watching to see how this plays out. One thing is certain, though - the fight for the future of image formats is far from over, and JXL is back in the game.

Check out part 1 of the saga.