This just in – Opera sent us a note letting us know that their speed-demon Opera Mini web browser for iPhone has just been approved by Apple for the AppStore. What does that mean? Well, once an app gets Apple’s stamp of approval, you can expect to see it hit the AppStore within 24 hours. That means by this time tomorrow, we’ll all be able to download Opera Mini for iPhone. That also means you’ll get all the Safari-busting speed benefits of Opera Mini on your iPhone, especially if you find yourself on a 2.5G EDGE network.
Check out our iPhone Safari vs iPhone Opera Mini speed test below to get an idea for why this announcement is such a big deal. Not only did Apple allow a competing non-Webkit web browser on the iPhone, they allowed a web browser that loads webpages faster, caches browser history, and loads webpages faster (did we say that already?) than the iPhone’s native Safari browser.
“We are delighted to offer iPhone and iPod touch users a great browsing experience with the Opera Mini App,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “This app is another step toward Opera’s goal of bringing the Web to more people in more places.”