First released in 1996, Opera commands a negligible percentage of the browser market, but it boasts a loyal following and some popularity on mobile devices. Opera offers popular versions of its web browser for devices that run on the Windows Mobile and Symbian operating systems.
But that popularity isn't enough to get Opera onto the vaunted Apple iPhone – not above the board, at least.
According to the New York Times, Opera Founder Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner said that he and his creative team built a mobile version of Opera that would run on the iPhone, but that Apple nixed the version because it's a competitor.
Tech writer Erica Sadun said that another roadblock probably would have prevented Opera from reaching iPhones: its versatility.
"[E]ven though Opera representatives state that this rejection was due to duplicated functionality, Opera would have had a tough time getting through a different gate: Apple will not allow programs to interpret code," she wrote for ArsTechnica.com. "Opera, being a full-featured browser, interprets JavaScript downloaded from the Internet, an absolute … no-no [for iPhone applications]."
