Opera Software submitted a mobile web browser for the iPhone to Apple’s App Store on Tuesday. Called Opera Mini for iPhone, the application was first demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona last month.
According to StatCounter, Opera Software commanded the mobile browser market with a 27.5 percent global share at the end of February. Given that Apple’s own iPhone browser ranked second with a 20.8 percent share, the Opera Mini’s availability on the iPhone could be a major coup.
Opera’s iPhone offering promises to give mobile users a new way to browse on Apple’s red-hot handsets, should the iPhone maker give it the green light. “Opera has put every effort into creating a customized, stylized, feature-rich and highly responsive browser that masterfully combines iPhone capabilities with Opera’s renowned web experience,” said Opera Software cofounder Jon von Tetzchner.
Growing Its Market Lead
Opera Software has two different products for mobile phones called Opera Mobile and Opera Mini, noted Opera Communications Manager Falguni Bhuta. Opera Mobile is a full web browser that renders pages in full on mobile devices and is generally used on smartphones, she explained.
“As for Opera Mobile, it runs on more than 100 million phones worldwide, as it generally comes pre-installed either through operators or OEMs,” Bhuta noted. “Opera Mobile is available for S60 and Windows Mobile platforms today.”
Opera Mini, which is installed on more than 50 million mobile phones worldwide, is a lightweight client-server browser that compresses pages up to 90 percent before they load on mobile devices. “This browser is easy to download and can be used on feature phones as well as smartphones,” Bhuta said, “including platforms like J2ME, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, and, hopefully soon, the iPhone.”
Apple’s decision could have a huge impact in the North American market, where Opera…