Word on the web is that Apple has refused Opera's proposition to get its web browser on iPhones. Apple has a record of rejecting applications aimed at iPhone use, on the grounds that most of them conflicted with what Apple was already offering.

Opera's CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner reportedly said that “Opera’s engineers have developed a version of Opera Mini that can run on an Apple iPhone, but Apple won’t let the company release it because it competes with Apple’s own Safari browser,” as cited by John Gruber writing for Daring Fireball. This indicates users shouldn't expect Firefox or other web browsers hitting the iTunes App Store anytime soon either.

However, “unlike other rejections, this one is not arbitrary,” the same post reveals. It is a known fact that Apple's SDK agreement with developers strictly and clearly forbids them to write their own JavaScript interpreter. But it's fairly possible that the iPhone version of Opera Mini doesn’t even have a JavaScript engine, the same speculative report reads. Should Opera Mini for iPhone be built “with minimalist rendering in mind... this would be another rejection of an app that doesn’t violate any of the written guidelines,” Gruber concludes.

One of the best known cases of Apple rejecting iPhone apps concerns Podcaster, an app that distributes podcasts. In Apple's opinion, Podcaster replicated iTunes functionality. However, the app's developer noted in a blog post that many apps that made it onto the App Store also replicated Apple's software, and even iTunes.

“Apple had nothing in the terms prohibiting developers from duplicating features currently available on desktop application,” said the developer of Podcaster. “I followed all the guidelines and made sure everything is in the correct place. Yet Apple denies me because I allow users to download podcasts just like iTunes.” Podcaster even sported a feature iTunes didn’t, namely the ability to download podcasts directly to the device, according to its maker.

Are you a fan of the Opera web browser? Do you think Safari is everything iPhone / iPod touch needs to offer a complete web browsing experience?