DOA: Opera Mini To Be Submitted In A Matter Of Weeks
We're getting some updates today about Opera's App Store ambitions. After announcing it last month and demoing it at the MWC, Opera told CNN last night that they will now be submitting the iPhone version of their Opera mini browser to Apple in a matter of weeks.
Further on, they finally explained why on earth they believe Apple would ever approve it:
Mini and Safari are different, Opera Mini is quicker at downloading regular Internet pages while Safari's design makes it more apt for more data-intensive functions, such as editing a Google document.
I wouldn't say we're trying to back Apple into a corner. We feel that we're very much following their rules.
They seem pretty much doomed to me. For starters, despite their beliefs, their app does duplicate the iPhone's core functionality. Furthermore, to increase browsing speed, Opera's servers pre-cache every website you visit from the app, a serious concern in terms of privacy that Apple would simply never allow.
Unless you're building an antitrust case against Apple with this one (good luck with that), don't waste your time.
