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Thursday, May 24, 2012, 04:24 pm
Facebook launches Instagram-style camera app for iPhone
Hot on the heels of its acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion, Facebook has released its own Instagram-style picture taking application for the iPhone.The new standalone application is available for free (iTunes link) on the App Store, separate from the existing Facebook and Facebook Messenger applications. With the new software, called "Facebook Camera," users can swipe through a feed of pictures from their Facebook friends, and tap to enlarge an individual photo.
The new software also allows users to share multiple photos quickly, all at once, rather than needing to post one at a time. Users can just select the shots they want to share by tapping the check-mark on each photo, then hitting post.
Facebook Camera also features a built-in photo editor that allows users to crop, rotate and add filters to any picture in the iOS Camera Roll. The photo filters are somewhat similar to options in Instagram, the photo taking application and sharing service that Facebook acquired in April for $1 billion.
While the application appears to compete with Instagram, the new Facebook Camera lacks some defining features of Instagram, such as hashtag sharing for specific topics, and mobile-only social circles. According to The Verge, the Facebook Camera team has been working on the application for months, and likely did not know about the company's plans to purchase Instagram ahead of time.
Facebook Camera is a 4.9-megabyte download available in English. It is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, fourth-generation iPod touch, iPad 2, and third-generation iPad, and it requires iOS 4.0 or later.
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Again I can't help but wonder who the heck at FB thought Instagram was worth more than about $250 mil. Of course Zynga paid $180 mil for OMGPOP which might be even sillier. Does anyone even play Draw Something any longer?
And in other news, Zuckerberg is no longer a virgin.
I agree that FB vastly over paid for Instagram. This app instantly is connected to all your FB friends and has a built in network of 900 million users. As much as I like instagram, the app, thier talent and user base are not worth a penny more than what FB spent building this app.
Again I can't help but wonder who the heck at FB thought Instagram was worth more than about $250 mil. Of course Zynga paid $180 mil for OMGPOP which might be even sillier. Does anyone even play Draw Something any longer?
I can't help but wonder why the investment banks advising Facebook thought a valuation of >$100bn was sensible either.
"Web 2.0" is doing a fine job of creating "Tech Bubble 2.0".
Still, since the markets seem to have jumped back about 15 years, maybe we'll get to party like it's 1999 again.
Facebook's acquisition of Instagram could have been a defensive move.
Imagine if Google bought Instragram and leveraged it with Google+.
Again I can't help but wonder who the heck at FB thought Instagram was worth more than about $250 mil. Of course Zynga paid $180 mil for OMGPOP which might be even sillier. Does anyone even play Draw Something any longer?
The purchase had nothing to do with the technology behind Instagram, rather the purchase was to buy Instagram's user base as well as box out any future competition.
Facebook's acquisition of Instagram could have been a defensive move.
Imagine if Google bought Instragram and leveraged it with Google+.
Yeah, Google+'s 2 or 3 users would have been delighted!
Instagram goes from cool (iOS), to uncool (Android), to Very uncool (Facebook), and now... it's dead.
Facebook's acquisition of Instagram could have been a defensive move.
Imagine if Google bought Instragram and leveraged it with Google+.
That, and buying Instagram lets them put this app out w/o fear of suit. In fact, the app's probably been waiting in the wings for the acquisition.
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According to The Verge, the Facebook Camera team has been working on the application for months, and likely did not know about the company's plans to purchase Instagram ahead of time.
Whoops. Way to get value from that $1,000,000,000, Zuckerberg (wherever you are).
Personally, I'm so tired of Instagram posts on FB that I'm about to block pictures. I don't need another "artsy" over-exposed shot of someone's keyboard or close-up of a dog toy. You're not Ansel Adams, so just stop it already.
IMHO (emphasis on H and O), I think the whole Instagram thing will die in months if not several weeks, and Zuckerberg's going to be smeared in the press for wasting a billion dollars.