Hell Freezes Over: Opera Mini on the iPhone

It seemed like they’d be ice skating in Hades before Apple would bless a real competitor to Safari on the iPhone, but Opera Mini has made its way into the App Store. Now that Opera has sailed past the gatekeepers, what’s the verdict?

Joe Brockmeier

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

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You’ve got to give Opera some credit. When Apple was rejecting iPhone apps right and left, they took a shot and ported Opera Mini to the iPhone OS anyway. While many said it couldn’t be done, or at least wouldn’t be approved, Opera gambled and won. Let’s take a look at Opera’s iPhone browser and see how it stacks up against Safari.

Opera Mini isn’t the first third-party browser that Apple has approved for the App Store, but it’s the first one that isn’t using Safari as a backend. The other browsers only modify Safari a bit, but Opera Mini is a whole new ballgame on the iPhone OS.

Why it Matters

Even if you’re not an iPhone fan or Opera enthusiast, Opera’s ability to land in the App store is pretty important to the mobile browser market overall. While the iPhone may not dominate the smartphone market, it…

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