Why You Will Not See Opera on Your iPhone

By Saul Hansell

A paragraph of my post last week about Opera Software, which makes browsers for cellphones and PCs, got a lot of notice on tech blogs. But, as often happens, the retelling of the story has created an odd snowball of misunderstanding.

I asked Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, Opera’s chief executive, about the iPhone, after he mentioned how the Opera Mini browser was popular on other smartphones. He replied that in fact some Opera engineers had started developing an iPhone version, but the company didn’t pursue it because Apple doesn’t allow products on the iPhone that compete with its own software — in this case, the Safari browser.

I wrote that, figuring it would tell iPhone owners what they really wanted to know: They are not going to be able to use Opera Mini any time soon.

Boy, was I wrong.

The discussion has been raging about how Opera came to know that its software wasn’t going to be welcomed by Apple. In particular, iPhone fans wanted to know if the company submitted a fully working version of Opera to the iPhone App Store.

So I went back to Mr. von Tetzchner for more details. He said that the development of the iPhone browser was more an “internal project” of some engineers than a product that management was committed to introducing. Indeed, development was halted after the company looked at the details of the license agreement in Apple’s software development kit and realized that it would not be permitted.

“We stopped the work because of the prohibitive license,” Mr. von Tetzchner wrote in an e-mail message.

The eagle-eyed Mac blogger John Gruber had wondered whether there was a technical issue because Opera Mini appears to run on Java, which is not available on the iPhone.

But Mr. von Tetzchner wrote that Opera has a version that runs “native” — that is without needing an environment like Java.

I’m not entirely sure why these questions stirred up the blogosphere so much. We already know that Apple does reject some applications when they duplicate functions of Apple’s own software.

Still, the attention, at least in some quarters, to the details of Opera’s plans for the iPhone highlights some of the stress that Apple has created. The company is oblique in what it tells developers in advance about what its standards are for the App Store. As a result, Apple fans and developers look to every little incident and mention of the iPhone for clues about how Apple’s App store actually works.

John Gruber wrote this very clearly last month:

Here is a complete list of what Apple must do to increase developers’ trust in the App Store system:

1. State the rules.

2. Follow the rules.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

MitchP November 4, 2008 · 8:57 am

Remember when MS was as evil as Bin Laden for preloading IE on Windows?

Luckily Apple is still the darling of the IT community and won’t be filing any anti-trust lawsuits.

MitchP November 4, 2008 · 9:11 am

I meant “facing” not “filing”

Thanks

Nick Blair November 4, 2008 · 10:16 am

Apple needs to be investigated by the DOJ antitrust division. This is clearly anticompetitive behavior. Kim Jong Jobs needs to crawl out of his socialist paradise and give his long-suffering subjects more choices. Apple, far from embracing innovation, is killing it here.

Jay Arr November 4, 2008 · 11:38 am

Anti competition is Apple’s mantra against Microsoft. Bite down hard all you peevish Apple whiners.

Chip November 4, 2008 · 12:04 pm

Apple’s doing exactly what Microsoft was taken to court for … using it’s monopoly influence to threaten a vendor from allowing a competitor’s software on the vendor’s machine.

Oh wait … it’s nothing like that.

Apple is deciding which apps it wishes to offer its users on its device.

Microsoft apologists are such a sorry lot.

Bob November 4, 2008 · 1:36 pm

Thats right Chip – the phone belongs to Apple not the customer who paid hundreds of dollars for it. I guess it is OK for Apple to dictate which applications I can run on my phone yet it was wrong for Microsoft to dictate what applications I can run on my computer.

Makes total sense

Jens Alfke November 4, 2008 · 1:53 pm

You can’t make any pronouncements about Apple based on this story, because Apple hasn’t said a single word about Opera Mini. Opera clearly said they hadn’t submitted it, so they haven’t given Apple a chance to give thumbs-up or -down.

Apple has never said they will not allow apps that compete with their own, although there have been two app-store rejections so far that lead one to suspect such a hidden agenda. Those rejections were a really bad idea, but you can’t extrapolate from them to making predictions to what Apple would do if Opera happened to submit their browser.

Apple is definitely doing some very stupid things with its 3rd party app policy. Fortunately the developer community has been howling in outrage, and has has so far caused Apple to back off on several misguided policies, like the ban on public discussion of iPhone programming.

If everyone keeps the pressure up, they may open up their policies further. I hope so. But bleating about antitrust isn’t going to help. (Video game companies have put much more onerous restrictions on their 3rd party game developers for decades, without the DOJ getting involved.)

Craig in TX November 4, 2008 · 2:11 pm

The only reason this is a big issue is because of how poor Safari is on the iPhone. It is excruciatingly slow even on 3G and it CRASHES constantly!!!! It’s by far the most unstable App on that has to be used by everyone to perform a basic function.

If the Safari browser wasn’t so very bad as it is, then people wouldn’t be screaming when Apple blocks great ideas like Opera mini. If Opera mini and Chrome were allowed on the iPhone, Safari would be third and only used by those who didn’t know any better.

I will be loving my iPhone for now, but maybe something like Android in 5 years will make it a very different choice.

Lacy Kemp November 4, 2008 · 3:21 pm

I suppose I’m just curious as to what the wiggle room is for apps. How much like an Apple program can they be? I know there are certain music apps that work- these aren’t considered to be synonymous with iTunes? I’m sure glad I’m not worried about getting an app in the store. It seems like a fairly absurd process- and one that doesn’t make sense to everyone.

Rick Starr November 4, 2008 · 6:16 pm

Guys get a grip. Apple isn’t doing anything “anti-trust” or “monopoly” until the iPhone has a 75% market share. It doesn’t. There are a bazillion other phones to choose from. When Microsoft was preloading IE and other MS software, there was one other OS choice, which had less than a 10% share.

Saying Apple shouldn’t decide what software goes on the iPhone is like saying Boeing shouldn’t decide what parts go into a 767.

I know you don’t like it, but get over it.

Robert November 4, 2008 · 6:53 pm

I like my iPhone, but I’ve already ordered another device because Steve doesn’t approve of my preferred apps.

In the long run, or even the shortish run, this dooms the iPhone to also-ran status, just as the Apple Mac marginalised itself against the open PC platform.

timesReader November 4, 2008 · 8:10 pm

apple doesn’t have a monopoly. iPhone barely has 1% of the market. The DOJ can’t sue anyone. Go choose another phone.

ted November 4, 2008 · 8:12 pm

Apple has been coming on like gangbusters in the last few years, gaining market share in a number of area. The iPod and iPhone are a big part of that. They will continue this path until they hit the same brick wall they happened with the MAC. Steven Jobs obsession as a control freak will alway keep Apple from achieving what really could be leadership role. The brass ring will always be just out of reach do to the closed minded attitude that is the culture of Apple. To bad. They innovate great and exciting products but do not let them out to be fully utilized. Oh well!!

SEBillups November 5, 2008 · 4:16 am

I have to say I agree with Rick. Stand-alone game systems have policies that often prohibit certain games from release on their consoles. Besides, the main priority of a hard/software company should be the stability of their hard/software. It is difficult enough to get some of their own apps to run COMPLETELY stable (someone mentioned Safari crashing frequently) let alone third-party apps that may not ‘play nice’ with the OS/phone (this is in spite of the ‘sandbox’ apple has set up). For the most part, we are talking about a small minority that would like to have specific apps and/or the abillity to ‘trick out’ their phone. Are their things missing? Of course there are. Apple and Steven P. Jobs have always come through with updates/additions (I’ve used a lot of ‘slashes’ in this comment).

Podesta November 5, 2008 · 7:19 am

Anyone who thinks Apple is not achieving its objective does not understand the company. Apple’s objective is not to be the seller of the most computers, phones or operating systems. Instead, Apple’s wants to be the most successful seller of well-designed, comparatively high end computers and other devices. (OS X is part of the design.) Apple’s price points and margins make it successful in its chosen parts of the tech market.

Tom Gibson November 5, 2008 · 9:26 am

You don’t buy a product and then complain about what it does/doesn’t do. Look before you buy. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Spending your money well, that’s the best way to make change. Apple keeps doing what it’s doing because you keep buying it. SIMPLE!!!

Gene November 5, 2008 · 11:20 am

‘When Microsoft was preloading IE and other MS software, there was one other OS choice, which had less than a 10% share.

Saying Apple shouldn’t decide what software goes on the iPhone is like saying Boeing shouldn’t decide what parts go into a 767.’
-Rick Starr

Microsoft never told me that I couldn’t use another browser or couldn’t write and install any type of software I want. And Boeing should decide what parts go into a 767, but not tell me what type or color of luggage I can take with me when I fly said 767, moron.

Liche November 25, 2008 · 2:46 am

“Microsoft never told me that I couldn’t use another browser or couldn’t write and install any type of software I want. And Boeing should decide what parts go into a 767, but not tell me what type or color of luggage I can take with me when I fly said 767, moron.
— Gene”

You have our choices. Don’t like Apple, don’t buy it, that’s the best way to undermine Apple, moron.

bellama2001 February 4, 2009 · 3:49 pm

well, i guess apple totally would be able to decide what apps to runs but i he costumer should be able to change it i i wanted and could //www.meclubbin.com

jiMMy May 18, 2009 · 1:13 pm

a bad apple is still a bad Apple!

restricting what you can develop or sell on iphone is very anti-competitive!
what microsoft did when bundling ie as default is not anti-competitive!
users need a default browser to do system upgrades like downloading vga drivers!
users can’t navigate in 640×480, 16 colors, 60hz refresh rates on windows 9x!!
besides microsoft never restrict users from downloading or using 3rd party webbrowsers!
when the bundled ie became outdated, users still flock to download 20-50 megs of newer versions of ie (on dial-up), instead of 10-20 megs of netscape. why? becauce back then, netscape had an ugly interface, slow, crash-prone, etc. today that’s changed, ie is lagging behind 3rd party browsers. so even if ie or konqueror (linux) is the default browser os, i will still download firefox!

Hector Macias Ayala February 10, 2010 · 10:56 pm

IMHO Opera should stop making anything for an Apple OS from now on.