Paradise and The Instagram Effect
A quick search for 'Apple should buy Instagram' on Google shows that the general thinking of the inter-brain is Apple should / will / can kill Instagram with it's own social photo sharing service. Over and above the fact that Apple are famously useless at anything social ('Dad, what's Ping?'), the reason for Apple being rubbish at social sharing is that their entire culture is built on secrecy. Not sharing is their business model. It also extends into their service model. You must live your life inside the iTerms and Conditions, sorry I mean - iTunes. Your apps must pass the App store quality control and even your iAds are vetted. In this context, I am not sure Apple are capable of allowing grubby little people to share stuff in the context of their brand.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
But I really hope that Apple are paying attention to what can only be called the Instagram Effect. Put simply, Instagram is marketing Apple products at no cost to Apple. People are actually wanting to move to iPhone because Instagram is so great. The idea is you make services so good that people will change their behaviour to be part of it. In effect - to create services that market themselves.
In a way Instagram has created a kind of service-product Paradise . The literal reading of the word Paradise means 'To make a wall around' and currently Instagram exists behind the wall that is Apple. What happens when or if it's ported to the Android platform? Will it still be as good when you open the gates and let everyone in? It seems as though it might have to compete with a bespoke Android-first competitor that may, by then, have the upper hand.
Imagine a world with 2 standards of social photo networks, this could result in some interesting social engineering as our life streams become separated by our technology. Your wife has an Android phone and so has a tough job seeing the pictures you post of the kids on your iPhone. We may see entire families / groups of friends moving onto either the Android or iPhone in order to share their experiences. As a consequence, we'll witness some pretty powerful peer marketing for these devices and then, eventually, wars.
11 comments
“People are actually wanting to move to iPhone because Instagram is so great.” Really?
imagine if @color actually takes off in this photo sharing regard?
Thanks for the daily knowledge (re: paradise definition)!
It sounds like there’s no reason for Apple to buy Instagram; like you say, they’re getting free marketing, so why spend a dollar? And I share @JeremyET’s skepticism. I’m an Android user, and while I’ll admit to a little Instagram jealousy (only for the activity / community, not for the app itself; I actually can’t stand its overuse), no way would I ever go back to the walled garden a) period; b) for Instagram.
@BillHewson beat me to the punch. It sounds like Color might bridge the worlds together. But they better hurry the hell up, they’re losing time to both Instagram and a number of Android alternatives.
@jeremyet it’s a hypothesis based on a number of people i’ve come across either buying iPads or exhibiting a real desire to be able to join in. It’s not scientific, I have no numbers for you. Let’s face it most people are locked into 24month contracts so churn is going to be hard.
@billhewson I have yet to meet anyone actually using color and yet to meet someone saying it’s not a very lonely experience.
@tabone no there is no reason for Apple to buy them but there is a reason for apple to encourage them to stay Apple and not go Android. This may fuel your ‘jealousy’ or if not yours many others.
Paul – Great post and totally agree that Color is still so lonely.
I feel the hype surrounding Color has too much of a tech focus, when you go to experience it, there’s a distinct lack of friendly and warm UX to just make it work for the user on a mass scale right now. The one thing Instagram has always had – shear simplicity to either capture and express or to be inspired. A community which can be start easily by finding those you know or if you do find yourself alone (which I was on the day of release) you can soon find interesting and like minded enthusiasts.
Color seems to be desperate for groups to adopt and have the masses populating their platform with any pictures that are going. I get that feeling when I see things like this:Teaming up with the Telegraph to get what they can on the 29th April (did it not go well or was it one day only thing?) http://www.color.com/royalwedding
I still think PicPlz is the closest runner up to Instagram coming in ahead of Color. Maybe I am missing the true genius diamond bullet feature of Color, but I don’t think it is where it needs to be to hit that mass consumer adoption.
As for Apple buying Instagram, is it that crazy that some apps may soon become unique to specific platforms or devises? Even if Apple didn’t invest and buy the product, perhaps there is a monetary investment to the developer to keep apps either Apple or Android specific to enhance the desirability of a devise? The iPhone or Android competition might die down and it become more like the days of Sonic or Mario, Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter.
@THEMARKCARROLL I thought Color was in the process of retooling, to alleviate the lonely feeling everyone was experiencing? (I recognize how snarky / funny that sounds but I mean it earnestly.)
I believe they are. Retooling in the midst of battle as the opposition push forward, good job no one invested in them as their independent photo sharing app, they need as much cross device/platform help as they can get when they return :-D
Thinking about it, has Instagram also enjoyed similar success itself from the Instagram Effect – with 3rd parties loving the app so much they are creating complimentary extensions and enhancements for the app, such as – Instagrid, Instagoodies, Gramfeed, Stickygram and many more.
@themarkcarroll yes the side effects are quite extensive. I believe it’s also fueling the explosion in quirky photo apps like Tiny Planet and Slow Shutter.
Instagram is briliant, but still has to constantly pass the Apple content rules.
Many many terms (that are used a lot) are censored in search, excluded from results and the images removed.
What paradise instagram has created is in the controlling of the hose. Instead of autofriending from other social networks, I think the following experience of IG is much more personally curated. It’s like the first flush of twitter.
Instagram is briliant, but still has to constantly pass the Apple content rules.
Many many terms (that are used a lot) are censored in search, excluded from results and the images removed.
What paradise instagram has created is in the controlling of the hose. Instead of autofriending from other social networks, I think the following experience of IG is much more personally curated. It’s like the first flush of twitter.
>imagine if @color actually takes off in this photo sharing regard?
Imagine if, in interviews defending the app, the founders stop using the word “algorithm” and start using the words “design” or “experience.”Can you imagine it?
Nah, me neither.
All that aside, interesting post. I don’t know whether Instagram is going for Android as well, but I don’t see any reason to imagine that as any more negative as when 4sq ported to BB, or the like.
I can’t think of much social software that’s more valuable because it has fewer people in it… Path included, and how interesting is it that no one has even mentioned it here?