Apple has always limited the approval of apps that directly compete with its own, in most cases. The Google Voice app fiasco was proof of that. Now Opera is trying its luck to see if Apple would approve the Opera Mini browser for the iPhone where it would effectively compete against Apple’s Safari.

The company made a public announcement at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain last month. Some believe Opera did that to push Apple into a corner, but the company said otherwise. According to Opera, their goal wasn’t to pressure Apple into approving the app, but they decided to showcase the app because it was a complete beta worthy of public debut. They wanted people to see what Opera Mini could do on the iPhone.

Opera also doesn’t see itself competing directly with Safari. They said while Mini can load pages faster, for a more robust functionality, like editing a Google Docs document, Safari should be the premier choice.

The Opera Mini should be available in a matter of weeks, given everything goes well, and Opera doesn’t see Apple disapproving the app. They do believe they are playing by Apple’s rules, as if that’s going to stop Apple.