We all know Apple’s policy regarding third party apps that duplicate functionality of its own offerings, so hearing that the App Store will host iPhone web browsers other than Safari came as a shock for everyone.

 

But, it’s true! There are currently four third party web browsers that have made their way onto the App Store, according to MacRumors – Apple has made no official comment on the story so far – and more are reportedly on the way.

 

The lucky four to have entered Apple’s grace are the Egde Browser, which is a free app; Incognito, which costs $1.99, and allows users to browse as they please without keeping a browsing history; WebMare, which costs $0.99; and Shaking Web, which costs $1.99.

 

Names such as Opera and Firefox, which until now stood no chance of getting an approval, are still unlikley to make the list, since their situation is far more complicated and might take longer for Apple to assess it.

 

The explanation is simple, the four browsers mentioned above are all based on the Safari developer kit, so while you might find them interesting, they differentiate greatly from what Opera or Firefox would do to your iPhone web experience.

 

The only problem is that the two more popular browsers are not based on the same Safari developer kit, and I don’t believe including them in the App Store is part of Apple’s strategy. After all, why would you want to give a helping hand to your fierce competitors?

 

So, once again, we get to the same conclusion: developers can work their brains out for a new app, it is ultimately Apple’s choice whether it should allow it to reach iPhone users. And, if you’re not on Apple’s friends list, you’d better not get your hopes high.