14 DAY TRIAL // Back in February, Opera Software announced plans to introduce iPhone owners to its Opera Mini web browser. Bringing tabbed browsing, server-side rendering, a find-in-page feature, and more, the application has already been submitted to Apple for approval, according to a March 23 announcement by the company. In tandem with that report’s release, Opera Software posted a web page featuring a timer and a contest, promising an iPhone to whomever got closest to guessing the time of the app’s approval in the App Store. At the time of this writing, the contest is still on, as is the timer.
Frankly, we’re more curious whether Apple will approve the application at all, rather than when. By the looks of it, the Mac maker’s review board is taking its time testing Opera Mini for the iPhone. As these personal thoughts were being written down, Opera Mini for iPhone had been submitted some 22 hours ago. For all we know, Steve Jobs may have already given the execution order, moving on to his daily tasks as the CEO of America’s most iconic company.
Softpedia noted on numerous occasions that Apple had at least one solid reason not to grant Opera Mini access in the App Store. By the looks of it, Opera Mini knocks the socks off of Apple’s mobile Safari. If proven as snappy, responsive and intuitive as shown in the demonstration video, pretty much every iPhone and iPod touch owner out there will want it. Admittedly, it can’t do pinch-to-zoom just yet, but it does away with this feature by allowing users to double-tap for a closer look. From where we stand, an iPad version of the application would downright kill mobile Safari as we know it. Apple can’t allow this. If it did, it would create a precedent leading to a flurry of such apps, and we’re not talking web browsers only.
Could Opera be barking on the wrong tree?
The Cupertino giant has been known to reject applications not only for duplicating existing features found in its own software, but also for offering features that Apple was working to implement itself. With this in mind, what’s keeping Apple from telling Opera, “Sorry guys, we were just going to throw in that tabbed view in the iPad’s Safari ourselves.”? Needless to point out, if Google is having trouble getting past Apple’s fine net, Opera surely has its way cut out for itself.
To be perfectly honest with its readers, this editor can’t think of a single solid reason for Apple to approve Opera Mini. But this is just one opinion – granted, an informed one, but a single voice nonetheless (as a longtime fan of the browser, and an iPhone owner, I’d be ecstatic to see it approved). So, we’d like to hear your thoughts on this.
Do you think Apple is considering the approval of Opera’s Mini browser?
Could it be writing a formal letter to Opera (as you are reading these lines), claiming it is sad to inform it of its app’s rejection?
Which of these scenarios sounds plausible to you? Use the comments at will.