I'm still a little bemused that Instagram sat on a runaway Android blockbuster for this long. It's like watching a race car driver fiddle with the stereo for 2 minutes after the green flag drops.
Did they think it was going to be a dud on Android? Were they not worried about competitors? Is Android development that much more difficult than iOS? I'd really love to know the internal justification for the delay.
I'm glad for them that it all worked out, but it seems like they really dodged a bullet by making their Android user base wait it out. Especially since there is considerable reason to believe that Android users will turn out to be their biggest subset.
From what I read, Instagram faced major challenges scaling their service to meet the demand of their growing iPhone user base. My guess is that iPhone growth just now plateaued enough to allow them to release their android client.
From what I've read about this company, their intense focus is precisely why they've had a string of runaway successes in a crowded category. They did a major revision of their iPhone app in the last year, delivering a major feature (real-time filters) that kept them ahead of the competition and have rolled out the web end of things very carefully. Their perfectionism shows.
I'm reminded of the music software company Propellerheads, who routinely roll out features 5 - 10 years behind their competitors, but earn a large and dedicated following with their high quality and original approach.
Why all the fuss? Photo sharing/uploading and fancy camera effects, there are dozens of apps already :o
I mean (from the frontpage):
"Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram. Share to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr too – it's as easy as pie. It's photo sharing, reinvented."
All that's been easy enough on Android with the sharing/intent system for years...
What's the fuss about HN? What aren't we having this discussion on redit, or digg, or 4chan? Or metafilter?
Software and specially social software is not a list of features. You could replicate Twitter's functionality and that wouldn't make people leave twitter.
Instagram has build a solid community, and that is what social software is all about.
I am using it for a day and noticed that the biggest feature is not sharing the picture on other networks, it is Instagram network itself. I am really enjoying to follow my timeline and to browse the "top pictures" tab.
It's funny that you enjoy the "top pictures" tab, as that's really one of my least-favorite parts of the app! I appreciate the intimate photo sharing with my immediate circle, but to see the stuff that floats to the top really makes me question the network as a whole.
I think this tab is funny for occasional browsing. Maybe it is because I really like the app and don´t follow that much people yet, so my timeline is a little quiet :)
None of the other apps have quite nailed it like they have though. Its hard to see their considerable userbase going elsewhere for this type of app going forwards.
I honestly don't know. I would suggest maybe it's a combination of
* Filter choice and options (maybe not the most varied, but limits are sometimes beneficial)
* User base (a huge driving force of the whole experience is people finding each other, liking, commenting, etc.)
* Social aspect and promotion (who wouldn't like having their image on the popular page and finding lots of random new followers when next logging in?)
* Integration with social networks - flickr, tumblr, twitter, etc.
* Focus on core features, not bloat - Do they even have a proper website yet?
* Timing
* Luck
I've tried many of the other apps available and for one reason or another, something has either put me off them or not kept me interested in the way instagram has.
Even if another application replicated and bettered every feature, they wouldn't necessarily be better - simply because they lack the users and culture that instagram have built up.
You've nailed it with the last line: "simply becuase they lack the users and culture that instagram have built up."
It's all about content, and the content curators and contributors on Instagram are insanely passionate about their "art", and treat it as art with the same sort of engagement you would find among such groups (Burning Man, WoW Clans, etc.). Instagram embodies the Apple culture in that it has created an ecosystem. You don't just download Instagram because it's technically superior to other apps (it's not), but you join Instagram because it's a lifestyle.
Disclaimer: I was greatly addicted to Instagram for about 6 months, then moved on to the next big thing. Nevertheless, I was on it long enough to appreciate why it was so engaging.
That is exactly my point. Feature-wise, the bar was not particularly high for competitors.
Yet they were able to let the Android product gestate for over a year and when they finally flip the switch they pick up a million users in the first 24 hours.
Did they think it was going to be a dud on Android? Were they not worried about competitors? Is Android development that much more difficult than iOS? I'd really love to know the internal justification for the delay.
I'm glad for them that it all worked out, but it seems like they really dodged a bullet by making their Android user base wait it out. Especially since there is considerable reason to believe that Android users will turn out to be their biggest subset.