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Apple: You Must Be 17+ To Use Opera

Posted by samzenpus on from the internet-is-a-big-responsibilty dept.

An anonymous reader writes "From the techspot article: 'This week, the Opera web browser became the first non-native browser made available in Apple's Mac App Store. While Apple approved the browser, it still managed to hurt its competitor by putting this ridiculous label on it: "You must be at least 17 years old to download this app." Opera has reacted in good humor. "I'm very concerned," Jan Standal, VP of Desktop Products for Opera Software, said in a statement. "Seventeen is very young, and I am not sure if, at that age, people are ready to use such an application. It's very fast, you know, and it has a lot of features. I think the download requirement should be at least 18."'"

15 of 315 comments (clear)

  1. Opera is so cool by Bovius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    After reading this, I just want to go shake Jan Standal's hand. It's not often you see a a suit invert a rival's rhetoric against them so pointedly and humorously. Usually it's all serious business, especially, you know, with the internet.

    1. Re:Opera is so cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Bawww, someone disparaged my 30 layers of bureaucracy, he must be a terrorist!

    2. Re:Opera is so cool by arth1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm American. What was your point, again?

  2. Then Safari should have the same warning! by name_already_taken · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The app allows you to access mature content. Apple does this across the board. - j

    Then Safari should show a warning at some point too.

    I usually like Apple stuff, but this move on Apple's part is just pathetic.

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    1. Re:Then Safari should have the same warning! by znu · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The OS has built-in parental controls that apply to Safari. And to the Mac App Store. Had Opera not been given a 17+ rating, a parent could have set restrictions on Safari, set the Mac App Store not to allow installation of apps allowing access to adult content... and little Johnny could have still installed Opera and gotten himself unrestricted web access.

      The idea that this is some plot by Apple to undermine Opera is absurd. Apple gives the same 17+ rating to any app that allows access to sufficiently unrestricted Internet content, including things like Wikipedia apps, which last time I checked Apple wasn't competing with.

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    2. Re:Then Safari should have the same warning! by PitaBred · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Safari can really restrict access to all porn over the Internet? As opposed to every single other filtering mechanism that has ever existed? And on a phone nonetheless?

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  3. Re:FUD? by Dalzhim · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why then don't I need to be 17 to get myself an iPod and use Safari which presents the same exact risks?

  4. Re:This is embarrassing for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, that just highlights how ridiculous this is. Opera is simply not big enough to be a threat to Safari's market share, warning label or not. However, they've now managed to make themselves look like assholes to thousands of people who would never have downloaded the app anyway.

  5. So as soon as you forbid it by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The more 17- kids will want it. Doing something forbidden is always more fun! But the kids will get bored of it soon, and say, "What was the big deal about this app?"

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  6. Re:non-story by ebcdic · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Apple deserve bashing for this. And it is a story; it shows the absurdity of their policies.

  7. Re:I wonder what will Apple fanbois will say by antientropic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    if i say, at this point, that Apple has become a rather villainous, control whore.

    Nonsense.

    They always were control whores.

  8. Re:This is embarrassing for Apple by SuricouRaven · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Scroll up. See all those comments condemning Apple?

  9. Re:I wonder what will Apple fanbois will say by NatasRevol · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And this is the whole point.

    1. There are parental controls in iOS. Including for Safari. Thus no need for a warning.
    2. Opera ignores these parental controls.
    3. Apple gives a warning because of #2.

    There is no one-sided-ness. No overt control for a competitor. Just trying to be more consistent - parental control or warning. And ironically, after being tarred and feathered for being one sided, when they're more consistent, there's even more whinging.

    In the bigger picture, most kids are given sex-ed at around 10...America thinks they have to wait 7 more years for better pictures.

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  10. Re:No big deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No they didn't. They saw the punch line coming a mile away and said "Shut the hell up, kid."

  11. Re:This is embarrassing for Apple by Luckyo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, mobile Opera is possibly the best browser on the market. It's much more lightweight then competition, at least as good, and has some very promising features that competition lacks. While it's possible that fanboy crowd wouldn't switch to a competing product, those who aren't fanboys likely will.

    Hell, one of the reasons why "omg symbian browser sucks" argument is pointless from end user POV is because both opera and opera mini on that platform work wonderfully.