iPhone/iPod Touch users who spend a pretty good minute on the web, today is a day to remember, for it is the day in which Opera submitted their iPhone version of Opera Mini to the App Store. The reason for the whole show is simply because, there’s a fair chance that the ever so intelligent and common sense filled (/sarcasm) App Store approvers will reject the app. The reasoning if Apple does in fact do so isn’t anything new. They’ll simply label it as “duplicating functionality” of an app already present on the iPhone (made by Apple).
Personally I feel a bit of competition in the form of “duplicate apps” is a god send. I guess a little choice is too much. Oh well. If things go south the legitimate route, Opera can always make an even bigger statement by putting Opera Mini up on Cydia for download. That would turn some heads and piss off Apple no less.
How Apple handles this will be pretty big either way. If they accept Opera Mini, it will be a monumental change from previous claims of “duplicate functionality” and the ensuing rejections that followed. If they deny it, well, the App Store will be dead to me. Denying a clearly helpful, useful, and all around great app just because they don’t want any competition with their in-house apps is bullshit.
