I've been using opera for some 15 years. I also use other web browsers in parallel for some tasks, but I use Opera the most. As many users, I use opera because it has some features than other browsers do not have and because it has different look and feel. However, it is not true for the new versions. So every time I install/reinstall Windows, I get surprised anew with the newest version of Opera, and then quickly revert to Opera 12.
My question is why did you decide to make your product similar to other existing products, when you already had your originality and your customer base who respected it? Why did you try to compete with much larger companies on their field? It really doesn't seem to me like a sound business strategy, but I still hope that it pays out for you because you've been providing me with some quality free software for a loooong time.
Regards,
Milos