????此外，外界一直傳言，F(xiàn)acebook有意收購挪威軟件公司Opera。1995年，譚詠文與蓋爾?伊瓦爾綏合作創(chuàng)立了Opera公司。最初，Opera瀏覽器只是挪威電信集團(tuán)（Telenor）的一個(gè)研究項(xiàng)目，后來譚詠文和伊瓦爾綏獲得了這個(gè)軟件的所有權(quán)，正式成立了獨(dú)立的Opera公司，并開始開發(fā)計(jì)算機(jī)和手機(jī)瀏覽器軟件。

????Opera 1.72%的市場份額確實(shí)有些微不足道。但據(jù)報(bào)道，2012年第一季度，公司收入達(dá)到了4,700萬美元，其中大部分來源于與其他公司的授權(quán)許可，比如授權(quán)任天堂公司（Nintendo，NTDOY）在其Wii游戲主機(jī)上內(nèi)置Opera瀏覽器；而另外一部分收入則來自與其他公司的站內(nèi)搜索與網(wǎng)購利潤分成。截至今年3月份，使用Opera Mini手機(jī)瀏覽器應(yīng)用的用戶超過1.68億人，比去年同期增長了64%，增長幅度非常顯著。外界傳出Facebook將收購Opera的傳言后，Opera股價(jià)大幅上漲了26%。

????目前，F(xiàn)acebook每月活躍用戶為9.01億，其中5億同時(shí)也是手機(jī)用戶。因此，如果Opera被Facebook收購，其較小的市場份額可能就不再是一個(gè)問題。因?yàn)榇龠M(jìn)Opera手機(jī)業(yè)務(wù)的增長只需要設(shè)計(jì)一個(gè)解決方案，使Facebook的移動(dòng)用戶使用Opera業(yè)務(wù)，包括將瀏覽器整合到手機(jī)應(yīng)用中。

????除了Opera的用戶數(shù)量外，對Facebook來說，更重要的是加強(qiáng)其手機(jī)戰(zhàn)略。正如五月份《財(cái)富》雜志（Fortune）報(bào)道稱，當(dāng)初Facebook選擇以10億美元收購照片分享應(yīng)用Instagram時(shí)，其實(shí)這家社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)已經(jīng)在競爭中落于下風(fēng)。目前，蘋果、摩斯拉和雅虎在手機(jī)搜索業(yè)務(wù)領(lǐng)域激戰(zhàn)正酣，F(xiàn)acebook的手機(jī)應(yīng)用卻屢屢受挫，它推出的應(yīng)用雖然功能最為出色，但有時(shí)也會(huì)出現(xiàn)無法使用的情況。凱鵬華盈（Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers）合伙人瑪麗?米克爾表示，目前全球智能手機(jī)訂閱量已經(jīng)達(dá)到9.53億，但與全球61億手機(jī)訂閱總量相比，就略顯蒼白了。對于Facebook這樣的公司來說，其中蘊(yùn)藏的巨大潛力，根本無法忽視。

????此外，除了已經(jīng)開始顯示手機(jī)新聞提要的“贊助商內(nèi)容”外，目前，F(xiàn)acebook仍缺乏強(qiáng)有力的手機(jī)廣告平臺(tái)。如果將Opera招致麾下，F(xiàn)acebook就可以出售其目前使用的默認(rèn)搜索引擎，當(dāng)然，假設(shè)的前提是Facebook確定它沒有主導(dǎo)搜索領(lǐng)域的意愿。

????而對于摩斯拉公司而言，至少到目前為止，其戰(zhàn)略一直非常有效。其火狐瀏覽器憑借開放開發(fā)環(huán)境和強(qiáng)大的自定義選項(xiàng)而頗受用戶歡迎，公司大部分收入都來源于有利可圖的搜索業(yè)務(wù)。2010年，公司1.21億美元的收入中，98%來自搜索業(yè)務(wù)。但摩斯拉在手機(jī)市場的起步較晚。雖然公司也推出了一款安卓（Android）應(yīng)用，但卻并未專門推出iPhone瀏覽器應(yīng)用。（它針對蘋果設(shè)備推出的火狐主頁應(yīng)用根本不是一款成熟的瀏覽器，而更像是為用戶提供了一種途徑，幫助用戶通過移動(dòng)設(shè)備訪問桌面瀏覽歷史和標(biāo)簽。）摩斯拉在手機(jī)瀏覽器市場的份額不足1%，為了解決這個(gè)問題，公司正在招賢納士，并將手機(jī)應(yīng)用、尤其是安卓應(yīng)用，作為公司發(fā)展的重中之重。

????也就是說，不能說瀏覽器大戰(zhàn)“再度”升溫。至少在移動(dòng)互聯(lián)網(wǎng)市場上，瀏覽器大戰(zhàn)才剛剛打響。

????翻譯/審校 阿龍/汪皓

????Rumors also continue to swirl around the possibility of Facebook (FB) acquiring Opera (OPESY), the Norwegian software company started in 1995 by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivars?y. Originally intended as a research project at the Norweigian telecomm company Telenor (TELNY), Tetzchner and Ivars?y got the rights to their software, formed Opera as a separate company, and began developing browser software for computers and phones.

????To be sure, Opera's 1.72% global market share is tiny. But the company reported nearly $47 million for the first quarter of 2012 thanks in large part to licensing agreements with companies like Nintendo (NTDOY), which offers it on its Wii console, as well as partnerships with companies over its in-browser search and shopping bars. Over 168 million people were using its Opera Mini app as of March, a 64% increase year-over-year, which indicates significant growth. The company's shares initially rose 26% on speculation of a Facebook purchase.

????Opera's small market share may not matter if it gets assimilated by Facebook, with its 901 million monthly active members, 500 million of whom are also mobile. Fueling further mobile growth for Opera could just be a matter of devising a solution where Facebook mobile users are somehow exposed to Opera, which might include integration of the browser into the mobile app.

????What will matter more for Facebook beyond Opera's number is strengthening its mobile strategy. As Fortune reported in May when the social network opted to buy Instagram for a deal then-valued at $1 billion, Facebook's has lagged behind the competition. Where mobile browsing offerings from Apple, Mozilla and Yahoo often hum, Facebook's apps have stumbled, with buggy apps that are at best functional but also occasionally unusable. According to Mary Meeker, a partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, there are already 953 million global smartphone subscriptions, but that number pales in comparison to the world's 6.1 billion overall mobile phone subscriptions, meaning the upside -- and there is a huge one -- for a company like Facebook is one it can't ignore.

????Facebook also currently lacks a strong mobile advertising platform beyond the "sponsored stories" that began showing up in mobile news feeds. With a browser like Opera under its belt, it could sell the default search engine used, assuming of course Facebook decides it doesn't want to dominate search, also.

????It's a tactic that has largely worked out well for Mozilla, at least until recently. Its Firefox browser became popular for its open developing environment and heavy customization options and relies on lucrative search deals to generate most of its revenues. In 2010, 98% of its $121 million in revenues came from search. But Mozilla has been late to mobile. Although it has an Android app, it doesn't have a dedicated iPhone browsing app. (Its Firefox Home app for Apple devices is less a full-fledged browser and more a way for users to access desktop history and bookmarks on-the-go.) With less than 1% of the mobile browsing market, it's an issue the company is tackling by hiring more talent and making mobile, particularly Android, a priority.

????Which is to say, the browser wars aren't just heating up yet again. In some ways, at least where mobile is concerned, they're just beginning.