More Indicators that Opera may be for Sale emerge
As far as I'm concerned, it is all just a rumor at this point in time. I'm talking about Opera Software currently in talks with Facebook, and maybe other potential buyers. Two new indicators that came to light today make it look as if there is more to the rumor than initially thought.
It was first reported by Fav Browser that Opera Software has renewed the agreement with Google which in itself is not that spectacular. The extension however ends on June 30, 2012, which is not really a long time considering that Mozilla recently renewed their agreement with Google for 3 years.
When you look back at Opera's previous renewals, you will however notice that the previous renewal was also only for two months, from March 31, 2012 to May 31, 2012. Before that though, Opera and Google had a two year long agreement that made Google the default search engine in the Opera web browser.
A renewal by two and then one month could indicate that Opera has been in talks with potential buyers for at least that time. There are however other explanations for this, including talks with other search engine companies.
You find the press release that announces the agreement here.
The second indicator has also been posted by FavBrowser. Facebook apparently has removed the Google Chrome browser from a page on the site that is displayed to users who access the website with an unsupported browser. The browser it was replaced with? Opera of course.
This should come as a surprise to many who would expect the page to display the most used web browsers like it did previously. This again can have other reasons, for instance that the relationship between Facebook and Google has been rocky lately. It needs to be noted that this page recommends browsers to users who open the page with an unsupported web browser (which Chrome is not).
I'm personally still not convinced that Opera will be acquired by Facebook or another company in the near future, even though it is possible that it will happen after all. What's your take?
Update: Nothing happened in 2012 but in 2016 it was revealed that a Chinese consortium was interested in acquiring Opera Software. The proposed deal had to be changed because of regulatory concerns so that Opera Browser and some other key technologies were acquired by the Chinese consortium while other parts of Opera Software were not. The part of Opera Software that the Chinese did not acquire rebranded to Otello Corporation.
As long as FB allows an untainted Opera Browser to be available for download (perhaps as an alternative version to an FB-ized one) then I can live with it. Opera ASA is a successful but still minuscule company. When every other major browser is backed by a billionaire company or a well-endowed “nonprofit”, Opera will continue to be the little browser that could.
Dan, Facebook is for jerk-offs. If you need their permission to do anything at all, you’re content to be a corporate pawn.
Goodbye to Opera, aft
Dan, Facebook is for jerk-offs. If you need their permission to do anything at all, you’re content to be a corporate pawn.
Goodbye to Opera, after all these years.
Maybe it’s a far fetched idea, but what if Opera signs some sort of deal with Facebook (not for a search engine, of course) and they asked for exclusivity? This could explain the short term deal with Google… However it seems that at least some sort of “link” between Facebook and Opera is more and more probable. Sad, really…
I’m still not convinced either. Mostly because while the share price has been rising since October 2011, this hasn’t been dramatic and seems to be in line with reported increased profits.
some companies like to acquire the whole customer-supply chain, ie control intial production through to sale to customer. I wouldn’t put it past FB to do the same in terms of your web experience, so grabbing a browser makes sense. The more they lock you in to using their products, the better their profits. At one time using some parts of microsofts website required use of their browser, perhaps FB have similar long term plans for facebook. If you’ve invested years into using FB, and all your friends use it, changing a browser rather than swapping social network might seem an easier option. People would protest of course, but like the recent timeline thing, they’ll just keep on using it.