Opera Crosses 100 Million Mobile Users, Plans iPad Release
Well, what better way to celebrate your one hundred millionth user than
to unveil plans of expansion onto new platforms, all but guaranteeing
another flood on your way to 200 million? That's the question being
posed to Opera today, which just reached the 100 million mark on the
mobile side of things. According to the numbers issued today in Opera’s
State of the Mobile Web report, 90.4 million people now use Opera Mini
every month and approximately 15 million people use Opera Mobile each
month. In all, 105 million people use Opera on their phones.
Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. A recent IDC report found that in the final quarter of 2010, more smartphones were sold worldwide than PCs, and people are desperate to try out new browsers in the mobile space. Outside of Android's browser and Mobile Safari, there really aren't a lot of great options, but Opera Mini is one of the few that has a lot going for it. In addition, Opera Mini will be shown for the Android, iPhone, J2ME, BlackBerry, Symbian and even the iPad next week at Mobile World Congress, and that iPad bit is particularly important.
A few months ago, the tech world was up in arms when Opera finally got their browser live in the App Store for iPod touch and iPhone. For the longest time, Apple had refused to let any other browser onto the store beyond their own (which ships as a part of iOS). But Opera Mini provides a great alternative, and that same alternative will soon be going biggie sized for the iPad. We suspect to hear a lot more on how the demo looks and feels from Barcelona next week, but hopefully the company won't keep consumers waiting too much longer. Once you know it's inching closer to release, the wait is even harder to stand.
Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. A recent IDC report found that in the final quarter of 2010, more smartphones were sold worldwide than PCs, and people are desperate to try out new browsers in the mobile space. Outside of Android's browser and Mobile Safari, there really aren't a lot of great options, but Opera Mini is one of the few that has a lot going for it. In addition, Opera Mini will be shown for the Android, iPhone, J2ME, BlackBerry, Symbian and even the iPad next week at Mobile World Congress, and that iPad bit is particularly important.
A few months ago, the tech world was up in arms when Opera finally got their browser live in the App Store for iPod touch and iPhone. For the longest time, Apple had refused to let any other browser onto the store beyond their own (which ships as a part of iOS). But Opera Mini provides a great alternative, and that same alternative will soon be going biggie sized for the iPad. We suspect to hear a lot more on how the demo looks and feels from Barcelona next week, but hopefully the company won't keep consumers waiting too much longer. Once you know it's inching closer to release, the wait is even harder to stand.
One hundred million
Oslo, Norway — February 10, 2011
More than 100 million people use an Opera browser each month on their mobile phones. According to the numbers issued today in Opera’s State of the Mobile Web report, 90.4 million people now use Opera Mini every month and approximately 15 million people use Opera Mobile each month. In all, 105 million people use Opera on their phones.
“Experts all have some date when they claim the mobile Web will overtake the PC web — we’re watching that transition now,” said Jon von Tetzchner, Co-founder of Opera Software. “But, rather than think of numbers, we think of people. 100 million is the beginning of a new era for the Web. In the next few years, hundreds of millions of people will take their first baby steps online. They will make their voices heard across their country and around the world. They will not only discover new ideas, but contribute their own. We defend those voices and celebrate those ideas. It is why we believe access to the Web is a universal right, and no device is more universal than a mobile phone.”
For a more detailed overview of the mobile revolution, please take a look at the fresh-from-the-servers State of the Mobile Web report. Every month, we cover the mobile Web in greater detail than any other company can. Visit http://www.opera.com/smw/ to read the report.
Opera shows what comes next at Mobile World Congress
105 million people might use Opera’s browsers today, but Opera Software cares even more about tomorrow. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, new versions of the Opera Mini browser on Android, iPhone, J2ME, BlackBerry, Symbian and even the iPad will appear. The Opera Mobile browser will not be left behind either, with the latest version for Android and Symbian making their debut. Come by the booth to say hello, check out what is coming up next, or tell us what you would like to see from us next. We are in Hall 1, Booth C44.
“Our developers have been hard at work building the mobile browser of the future — for both consumers and mobile operators,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “We want our browser to impact lives in a meaningful way. It’s one reason we use mostly renewable resources to power Opera Mini’s servers. It’s why we make it light, so you don’t have to recharge your battery every few hours. It’s why Opera Mini and Opera Mobile can help operators reduce the bandwidth that clogs their networks. A browser may never change the world, but we’ll never stop trying to.”
