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Opera Mini for iPhone already over 1 million downloads strong

Opera's new iPhone browser has capped over a million downloads the first day of widespread availability. Cue Dr. Evil.

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Jessica Dolcourt Editorial Director, Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt's career with CNET began in 2006, and spans reviews, reporting, analysis and commentary for desktop software; mobile software, including the very first Android and iPhone apps and operating systems; and mobile hardware, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of practical advice on expansive topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
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Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
Dr. Evil
Say it with me now. One MEEL-ee-yon downloads.

Three days after its late Monday launch, Opera Software spread the news that its server-assisted Opera Mini browser for the iPhone capped over a million downloads the first day of widespread availability, which was Tuesday.

That's 1,023,380 downloads to be exact, according to Apple's end-of-day download count. Good enough for us; cue Dr. Evil.

Opera went on in a press release to boast that Opera Mini 5 for iPhone currently sits pretty as the top iPhone app in 22 Apple stores as of 8 a.m. CET, including the U.S., Japan, Spain, Indonesia, and Germany.

Apple's acceptance of Opera Mini's browser on the iPhone raised a few eyebrows, based on Apple's infamous hair-trigger for rejecting developer apps that compete with its key software; in this case, the Safari browser. Opera was able to squirm around Apple's many restrictions by building an iPhone version of its mobile browser that relies on Opera's servers to deliver Web data, rather than having a standard native browser that requests and delivers content using Web standards. Opera Mini is the first browser alternative that isn't based on the approved, open-source WebKit software.

With all the hype that Opera's been generating with its categorical first since the company first announced its iPhone intentions in February, we're not surprised that the hordes of iPhone users out there have sated their curiosity. Though many reviews are positive, the software has also been privy to its share of complaints, including the lack of pinch-and-zoom (you can still zoom in and out by touching your finger to the screen.)

Related story: Skyfire's response to iPhone's Opera Mini: Us, too!