According to a Thursday press release by Opera Software, its late Monday-approved server-assisted Opera Mini browser for the iPhone - the first alternative Web browser for Apple’s popular handset – capped more than one million downloads within the first 24 hours of its widespread availability.

Going by the statistics forwarded by Opera, Apple’s end-of-the-day download count of the ‘free’ Opera Mini 5 for iPhone stood at 1,023,380 downloads to Apple devices.

The statistics clearly put the Opera Mini 5 for iPhone in the top slot of all iPhone apps available in 22 Apple stores, including those in the US, Japan, Germany, Spain, and Indonesia.

The notable figures also confirm that iPhone users have satiated their curiosity about the Opera Mini – categorically the iPhone’s first browser alternative to have received Apple’s approval despite the fact that it is not based on the recommended open-source WebKit software.

With all the hype that Opera's been generating with its categorical first since the company first announced its iPhone intentions in February, we're not surprised that the hordes of iPhone users out there have sated their curiosity

Commenting on the overwhelming response to the Opera Mini for iPhone, Opera’s CEO Lars Boilesen that iPhone users now “have a choice, and, as the numbers show, they are eager to explore new and faster ways to surf the Web on the iPhone - especially during heavy Web traffic.”