Opera Mini Rolls-Out Version 6.0 For iOS, Brings iPad & Retina Display Support

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Opera originally rolled out their Mini web browser for iOS as Opera Mini 5 back in April of 2010. And well, coming just a year after the original launch, Opera has announced the availability of Opera Mini 6 and with the new version number comes support for new devices as well as new features.

That being said, the Opera Mini web browser (in version 6) is available in the iOS app store as a free download and will work with the iPhone, iPod touch and the iPad. Of course, that reveals one of the major new features — Opera Mini is now a universal app. And in addition to the support for the larger iOS devices, version 6 also comes with support for the retina display on the iPhone 4.

Other new features include;

• Updated design with a fresh new look and feel
• Super smooth pinch-to-zoom and panning
• Direct share on Facebook, Twitter, and My Opera
• Open new page in background tab
• Improved international font support for Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, and other non-latin languages

And for those wondering why Opera Mini over Safari, well for one, Opera offers data compression which should help those who come close to going over their monthly data allotments. According to Opera, the Opera Mini browser “features up to 90% compression of data traffic for speed and cost savings, making both your patience and wallet happy on slower connections or when roaming.”

With that, Opera was also quick to point out the success they saw when they originally launched last year. The browser launched and saw “more than a million downloads at the Apple app store in the first 24 hours.” Of course, some of that download rush likely came as a result of the issues with Apple and getting third party browsers approved at the time. Given that it should be interesting to see just how well version 6 does in terms of downloads. Me personally, I am fairly happy with Safari for my browsing needs on the iPhone and iPad, however have downloaded Opera Mini and will give it a chance.