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Opera Debuts On The Mac App Store

A new release to the Mac App Store today is the Opera web browser that can be downloaded for free. The app seems to be exactly the same as the non Mac App Store version and identifies itself as version 11.01 and build 1206.

The app also includes its Presto layout engine, which would have been thought to be an infringement on Apple’s Mac App Store guidelines that state, “Apps that use non-public APIs will be rejected.” This raises the distinct possibility that browser engines may not fall under the private API category, in which case other browsers could soon be heading to the Mac App Store including Firefox that uses another layout engine called Gecko. Alternatively it is possible that an Apple reviewer has let Opera slip through without realizing, which has happened before with app reviews.

When bringing the Opera browser to the iPhone and iPad, they had run into similar guideline restrictions and were forced to only release Opera Mini that does not use their own browser engine but instead directs traffic through Opera’s servers to compress data. The more fully featured Opera Mobile which is available for Android and other mobile phones could not be released on the iPhone because of its reliance on their own APIs .

The full description from the iTunes store is below.

Browse the Web with the greatest speed and efficiency using the Opera web browser. You can also double your page-download speed on slow connections with Opera Turbo.

Opera is
Lightning fast
Make your web browsing faster. Everything from loading webpages to opening tabs is optimized to happen almost instantly. You can even speed up browsing on slow connections, with Opera Turbo.

Safe and secure
Reduce your exposure to threats on the Web. Industry-leading security and features such as Fraud and Malware Protection and a security bar, ensure your safety.

Easy to use
Fly through webpages by using thoughtfully-designed features. You can search directly from the address field or launch your favorite pages with one click using Speed Dial.

Innovative and powerful
Get the most from the Web with great features such as custom search, mouse gestures and Find in Page to help you find content on long pages.

Download Opera now and get more from the Web.

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Former MacStories contributor.

graham@macstories.net