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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Will Apple approve Opera Mini for the iPhone?

By | February 10, 2010, 2:56pm PST

Summary: Opera Software is confident that Apple will approve the Opera Mini browser and make it available in the App Store. What do you think?

Opera Software is confident that Apple will approve the Opera Mini browser and make it available in the App Store. What do you think?

This is interesting for several reasons. First, Apple has a long history of rejecting apps which it claims duplicate functionality already present on the iPhone. Since the iPhone already has a browser, Opera Mini would seem to offer duplicate functionality, and therefore be a prime candidate for rejection.

However, Opera is also known for being hard-hitting, and unleashed the might of the European Commission on Microsoft over its default inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows 7. While the company has said that it  hasn’t given approaching the European Commission “a single second of thought,” Apple might well play things safe and allow Opera Mini onto the iPhone.

What do you think?

Poll

Will Apple approve Opera Mini for the iPhone?

Poll

Would you like to see Opera Mini on the iPhone?

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Topics

Apple iPhone, Opera Software ASA, Apple Inc., Smart Phones, Web Browsers, Microsoft Windows 7, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Internet, Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows, Software, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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Unraveling? Selling like hotcake all over the world.
CathyCC 14th Feb 2010
> Apple is unraveling

You better not tell that to 1 of the hottest cell phones ever sold: The iPhone.
View in thread
0 Votes
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Quick correction:
msalzberg 10th Feb 2010
The iPhone has more than "a" browser. By my count, there are more than
a dozen iPhone browsers on the App Store.
0 Votes
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Who makes the browsers? Or are you referring to 'skins'?
D.T.Schmitz 11th Feb 2010
nt
0 Votes
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Go to the App Store...
msalzberg 11th Feb 2010
and search for "browser."

There are, as I said, at least a dozen. They all have different claims
about speed and function, so I doubt they're just skins.

I believe they are all WebKit based.
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RE: Will Apple approve Opera Mini for the iPhone?
Loverock Davidson 10th Feb 2010
I hope Opera gets shot down with their browser. Apple will see right through them and won't take the risk. Remember when Opera had to go crying to the EU because no one wanted their browser? Apple is not going to play that game either and tell Opera to shove it. Even if it does get approved (only by court order because there is no other way) no one is going to use it after the tactics they used against Microsoft. Opera branded themselves as a losing company.
0 Votes
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Ergo...
zkiwi 10th Feb 2010
Apple will most assuredly approve Opera. After all, given your predictions usually result in exactly the opposite happening.
0 Votes
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Actually..
Wolfie2K3 10th Feb 2010
It's Opera browser for desktop PCs no one gives a fig about. Opera MINI is actually quite popular on many phone platforms.
0 Votes
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actually you are wrong about desktop
thinkl 10th Feb 2010
Opera for desktop PCs has about 45 million monthly users, Opera Mini has about 46 million monthly users.
0 Votes
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No, Hes still right.
jahcriado 11th Feb 2010
Can't take numbers by themselves. Look at the percentages instead. Whats the percentage of people who use Opera on the desktop & then compare to the percentage of the mobile market. 45 mil on desktop market is not that big, on the other hand 46mil on the mobile market is pretty good.
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I'd like to see Opera on the iPhone
Pete "athynz" Athens 11th Feb 2010
if for no other reason than to open the doors to have Firefox for the iPhone... I'd hope for Chrome as well but with the Apple/ Google pissing match I'm not holding my breath.
0 Votes
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They better do, the more apps the better.
hectormacias 10th Feb 2010
Besides Safari SUCKS big time, I usually critizice Chrome but Safari doesnt even deserve the title of a browser, it simply offers NOTHING. Its even worse than IE.

coverflow? for gods sake! coverflow this...
0 Votes
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Actually, Apple does NOT have a long history
frgough 10th Feb 2010
of rejecting apps that "duplicate functionality." I think the
actual count is two or three out of 140,000.

But, hey, what are facts when you've got some hot yellow
journalism to peddle.
0 Votes
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Sure they will, just like they did with Flash. Oh. Never mind.
D.T.Schmitz 11th Feb 2010
Get an Android or Nokia and have it your way.

Have a Nokia N95 with three browsers and Flash. Over two years old.

Come on Folks, Apple is one huge lock-in.
0 Votes
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Flash?
Pete "athynz" Athens 11th Feb 2010
Even after Adoble left a flaw in Flash unpatched for 16 months? http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=5422 Did you miss this post? Not even to mention that most people don't even notice the lack of Flash on the iPhone - hell I didn't use it with WM and WM had flash for a while... And speaking of lock ins, isn't Flash one of the biggest lock ins on the net? What other program gives the same functionality? Or more to the point how many companies has Adobe bought who's products had the same functionality?
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RE: Will Apple approve Opera Mini for the iPhone?
imsticking 11th Feb 2010
There are already a handful of apps in the store who's
core functionality is web browsing. Why they wouldn't
approve one more would be completely baffling to me.

In fact I'm going to begin developing my own browser
for iPhone. Apple's Mobile Safari is just a starting
point or reference point I believe, and I don't think
they'd reject a browser app that adds to what that
already brings. And there is plenty of room for
enhancement of Mobile Safari.

If Opera are trying to get a browser approved that
does nothing more than Mobile Safari, you'd really
have to wonder what the point was, beyond advertising
their brand. Also Mobile Safari is the default browser
on iPhone, and you can't change that. It responds to
the "http://" URL scheme, so good luck to anyone
trying to make inroads into replacing Mobile Safari as
the standard browser on iPhone.
0 Votes
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revise your metric
patibulo 11th Feb 2010
What Adrian means is not that there have been many applications rejected. What Adrian means is that we all know about Apple does, because their approach is very well known.

Instead of picking on his words, stop trolling and get the point of the article. I think it is a good point.
0 Votes
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As a reviewer, would *YOU* approve a clear violation of the agreement?
CathyCC 11th Feb 2010
You're kidding right?

A developer signs a legal agreement *NOT* to duplicate the Iphone's built-in software.

The developer *CLEARLY* and deliberate violates the agreement that *HE* signed.

Do you think Apple's Reviewers will say, "oh, yes, that's ok to do"???

If *YOUR* company hired you to screen-out products that CLEARLY violated your company's policy... what would you? Just "approve" the products anyway????

How long would you keep your job?
0 Votes
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I like to force stores to sell things they don't want to sell
CathyCC 11th Feb 2010
Why do people think they can *FORCE* a store (iTunes) to sell certain software that they don't wish to sell?

Drive down to Dunkin Donuts and try to *FORCE* them to sell your favorite products... even though they don't want to.

Let me know how that works out for you.

If you don't like what Dunkin Donuts sells... go to a different donuts shop.

If you don't like the iPhone... simply buy 1 of the other 1000 phones out there.

(But iPhone still remains the #1 phone in "customer satisfaction" that has *EVER* been made. So apparently, SOMEONE
likes it just as it is.)
0 Votes
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Uh, retarded.
jahcriado 11th Feb 2010
Thats a poor example, really. Hes making reference to the EU taking MS to task about bundling IE with windows. This is similar. I by a device that has the ability to run a different browser but the co. won't let me. Actually the iphone is a worse violater than Win is, since you can at least us IE to dl firefox/opera/safari. Apple doesn't let you do that at all.

The problem is tons of people love the iphone, but its been purposefully limited. Its a great device but could be better if Jobs, er, I mean Apple wasn't such a control freak entity. Thats why millions have jail broken their iphones.
0 Votes
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iTunes is a store NOT owned by you
CathyCC 11th Feb 2010
> Uh, retarded.

Not sure why childish naming-call is always a part of your replies.

So if a Donut shop *COULD* sell the product I want... therefore it *MUST* sell it?

Not sure what county you live in... but in most of the world... you are not *FORCED* to sell things in your store... that you don't wish to sell.

iTunes is a store.
iTunes is owned/operated by a company.
*YOU* (foolishly) agreed to only submit software that complies with Apple's rules.

Why did you agree to it?
0 Votes
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One CAN run a different browser than Safari
Pete "athynz" Athens 11th Feb 2010
on the iPhone - there are several browsers in the iTunes store for sale... none of them are IE, Firefox, Chrome, or Opera but there ARE other browsers.
0 Votes
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They are not seperate engines.
dag10 11th Feb 2010
No those went completly seperate browsers.
They use the mobile safari engine. They are
simply a skin if a web browser with a web view
in it.

The Opera Mini this article describes on the
other hand will include a seperate rendering
engine. That would "duplicate functionality".

I love apple, but their policies frustrate me.
With them only allowing their customized
webkit engine, there is no competition to
create a faster mobile rendering engine /
JavaScript engine.
0 Votes
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They are all based on WebKit,
msalzberg 11th Feb 2010
as are Chrome, and WebOS. Are you claiming that those are merely
'skins,' and no different than Safari? I think Google and Palm would
disagree.
0 Votes
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True, But?
Ktroje 11th Feb 2010
None of them are technically made to replace Safari. Most of them are
meant for stealth browsing, as in no history and a button to black out
the display. None of them have the feature set that Safari does, like
Application shortcuts, and there's no way of escaping the fact that any
link you tap from your email or any other app (that doesn't have a built in
browser) will open in Safari.

I'd like to see Chrome before Opera, but that ain't gonna happen with
Google's fighting with Apple, as of recently.
0 Votes
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Name 5 other browsers available for the iPhone
CathyCC 14th Feb 2010
Name 5 of those "other browsers" that are available in iTunes for the iPhone.

(Or do you mean... apps that put a small copy of the standard Safari browser, inside a small window?)

That is *NOT* considered "other browsers".
0 Votes
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Apple is unraveling due to Greed and a hate obsession
jfiser 11th Feb 2010
The Wall Street Journal has an excellent analysis
of Apple's little hate obsession they currently
suffer from...
It's a pay-for article - but you can read it hear:

http://sympleton.com/#44
0 Votes
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I found that article to be biased
Pete "athynz" Athens 11th Feb 2010
and inaccurate on several different levels.

The author calls the iPad Apple's entry into the netbook market - it's NOT a netbook... it's more of an ereader on steroids. He also goes on to say that Apple's lack of flash it so that iPhone/ iPad users can only get their media from iTunes - FAIL again. I use an iPhone and I can get my media from anywhere and put it on the iPhone. And there his claim that Apple is going to use Bing to displace Google... so far not true - Bing may or may not be included as one of the available built-in search engines and may or may not in the next OS incarnation be the default but Google will always be available as a search option that can always be enabled as the default engine.
0 Votes
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Unraveling? Selling like hotcake all over the world.
CathyCC 14th Feb 2010
> Apple is unraveling

You better not tell that to 1 of the hottest cell phones ever sold: The iPhone.
0 Votes
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Opera does some things better than other browsers.
Robert Carnegie 2009 11th Feb 2010
Otherwise why would they WANT to be on iPhone and iPad? It's another platform to run on. Another to write for. Another to support.
0 Votes
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RE: Will Apple approve Opera Mini for the iPhone?
CathyCC 11th Feb 2010
Huh? Any iPhone app can have FLASH in it.
You can't "force" a developer to put FLASH in his apps.
If Safari doesn't want FLASH, it doesn't have to support it.

Here's just a small, partial list of some iPhone apps that *DO* have FLASH:

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/
0 Votes
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oops...
Henry Miller Updated - 11th Feb 2010
This was supposed to be a comment on a different article--it looks like Firefox has a new fetch-ahead "feature" that scrolled me right past the end of the previous article and into this one.
0 Votes
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I Highly Doubt It - Chrome for iPhone, anyone?
Ktroje 11th Feb 2010
I think this is in direct correlation as to why there's no Google
Chrome for iPhone; Apple doesn't want any competition for the
web browser category. Sure, there are browsers like Aquari that
are meant for stealth browsing, (no history - and often times, a
button to make the display black) and not as a complete Safari
replacement. I love Mobile Safari, but I'd like to see a Chrome
Mobile. It probably won't happen, with all of Apple & Google's
recent feuding. Who knows, maybe Opera will get lucky?

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