Will Opera Mobile perform for free?
Skyfire, in closed beta
(Credit: Skyfire)
Opera should be bracing for impact. Quite possibly for the first duration, Opera Software will receive real pressure in the mobile browser space from Firefox Mobile and Skyfire (review). Like Opera’s cell phone browser, Opera Mini (video), both newcomers are free. However, Opera Mobile, which serves Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 phones, is a commercial product that smartphone users may not want to pay for when handed alternatives gratis.
How does Opera plan to keep current customers and attract new ones when consumers face a $24 versus $0 choice? I asked the Opera folks whether they would consider making Opera Mobile free in anticipation of or response to oncoming competition, to which Tatsuki Tomita, Opera’s Senior Vice President of Consumer Products responded,
“The mobile Web is blossoming and we are strongly positioned to take advantage of its growth. While we watch the industry closely, we have not yet determined the end-user model for Opera Mobile.”
What a nicely-toned, safely vague statement! It’s one any company would be expected to build when challenged on two fronts by a competitive freeware surge. Yet with actual working, marketable products for a range of devices, and a business plan that reaches into corporate pockets, Opera is well-positioned. For now….
Original post by Jessica Dolcourt
