Opera Mini Browser headed to the App Store?

Opera Mini browser

You iPhone addicts out there may not be aware, but there may be a new browser on the horizon for you. Opera Software, which develops the Opera Web browser, has officially submitted its product to the Apple App Store for review.

Are you wondering, “Why in the world would I need another browser? Safari is amazing”? Well, I cant argue with you guys here — Safari is still one of the best mobile browsers in the smartphone arena. With all that said, Opera Mini should serve as a great back-up, that is, if it’s approved by Cupertino. The browser isn’t entirely brand new, due to its appearance at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but it does show promise.

One of the main things about it is the speed. (It even upstages our native Safari browser on that point.) Opera Mini’s ability to deliver more for less by compressing data up to 90% before sending it to your device. What this means guys is you will get the same webpage but will comsume far less data on AT&T’s network.

Now I know all of this sounds really good, but there are some obstacles to overcome. One thing Opera does not offer is pinch-to-zoom. The only way to get a closer view of a specific picture or section of an artcile is to double tap. Now some may be very annoyed by this. With the browser being faster, I think I could deal with it. (According to Gizmodo, some pages do seem to have trouble uploading, but most are fine.)

The final question is: Will Apple approve this browser? Apple’s approval process has been infamously opaque, and the company has never historically liked browsers that aren’t based on Webkit (like Safari). Opera Mini is not based on this type of software. So now that Opera’s submitted this entry for App Store review, we’ll have to wait and see if it gets approved. I personally hope it happens. Faster browsing as an option would be sweet.

Via: Gizmodo, tgdaily, Opera