Apple approves Opera Mini for iPhone app

Browser developer Opera has confirmed that its Opera Mini for iPhone and iPod touch application has been approved for inclusion in Apple's App Store.

Users of the Apple devices will be able to download the app within the next 24 hours, gaining access to browsing speeds up to six times faster than Apple's native Safari browser, according to Opera.

Opera said that the extra speed will be of particular benefit to users on slower networks such as 2G Edge, and that its page compression capabilities will save on roaming charges.

Apple has always been highly protective of the applications it approves for the App Store, and took 20 days to approve the Opera Mini app.

Tony Cripps, an analyst with Ovum, argued that the addition of Opera Mini to the App Store is good news for iPhone users and a boost to Opera's reputation.

"It will be interesting to see how many people take up the Opera Mini browser now it's available, and it should give Opera some interesting insights into what people use their iPhone for, data that presumably only Apple had access to before," he said.

"It's also good for Opera as it expands its platform consistency to yet more devices, which means that users get used to the client on numerous devices. This makes them an attractive proposition for carriers as a go-to-market platform."

Cripps suggested that Apple may have let the Opera Mini application on to the App Store because it is not technically a browser, but instead interacts with servers to send page impressions back to the application.

"Other mobile browsers like Firefox may still not be able to get anything on to the App Store as they would merely be replicating a function that already exists. So it may not be as straightforward for them to have something approved, " he said.