Opera Browser Hits the Mac App Store

Daniel Aleksandersen, desktop product tester, Opera Software ASA, is proud to announce that Apple has approved the Norwegian company’s web browser in the Mac App Store.

Not that Apple had any reason not to - it is virtually identical to the version that users can download from Opera Software’s website, or from Softpedia.

Nonetheless, Aleksandersen is more than happy to make the official introductions, saying “Apple yesterday approved Opera as the first non-Safari clone Web browser into their Mac App Store.”

“The Desktop Team is very pleased with this new distribution channel that enables us to reach even more and new users on the Mac platform,” he writes on his Opera blog.

Aleksandersen encourages fans of the browser to post their impressions in the reviews section of the Mac App Store. He claims the browser has been well received already.

As expected, the Mac App Store version of Opera comes with its standard description, supported languages, system requirements, screenshots, and links to the Opera Software ASA web site, Opera support, and the Application License Agreement.

“Browse the Web with the greatest speed and efficiency using the Opera web browser,” the description reads.

The Norway-based Opera Software advertises its web browser, noting that it is lightning fast, safe and secure, easy to use, innovative, and powerful.

Interestingly, the OS requirements list Tiger - Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later, though downloading the program through the Mac App Store requires an Intel machine with Mac OS X 10.6.6 (Snow Leopard) installed, as it is the only Mac OS version with access to the Mac App Store application.

With the desktop version of Opera now approved in the Mac App Store, the software vendor has one more major announcement pending - Opera for iPad.

Exclusively previewed by Softpedia at WMC in Barcelona last month, Opera for tablets is blazing fast, and delivers all the key features found in Opera Mini for iPhone, plus new ones.