Of course you’ve seen the recent hullabaloo surrounding the -gasp- $1 billion Instagram purchase on Facebook’s part.
In case you didn’t, here’s the 411: Yesterday, Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced the $1 billion acquisition between Instagram and Facebook. The initial interest in Instagram was sparked by Facebook’s focus “on building the best experience for sharing photos with…friends and family,” which they believe can be achieved by teaming up with the minds behind Instagram. (Plus, the substantial daily growth of new users on Instagram doesn’t hurt either.)
Now, I’ve been tootin’ the Instagram horn since the day I got my iPhone. I love the app and I love how easy it is to use. When I heard about the announcement yesterday, I wasn’t necessarily shocked or infuriated, like many Instagram and Twitter users I’m following were. I’m an avid user of both and I just can’t see Facebook “screwing up” the iPhone and (now) Android app. As Chris Taylor eloquently puts it in his Op-Ed Mashable piece, “everything we know about Mark Zuckerberg suggests he is too smart to pay $1 billion for an app with 30 million users only to shut it down or run it into the ground.” And I completely agree.
For those still unsure of the acquisition, you can check out the rest of Chris Taylor’s Op-Ed piece about how Facebook could actually improve Instagram.
Here are six interesting facts about Instagram that you may have never known:
1. Instagram has nine employees. That’s right, only nine… (Source)
2. Facebook is not going to only integrate the app into the already popular social site. Mark Zuckerberg states that Facebook “will be building on Instagram’s strengths and features and growing the app independently rather than “just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.'” (So really, how are they going to screw it up?) (Source)
3. Instagram had over 30 million registered users by April 2012. (Source)
4. At SXSW this year, Instagram previewed the Android version of the app, which then received over 430,000 pre-registrations and was released on April 3, 2012. (Source)
5. Instagram was named App of The Year 2011 by Apple iTunes. (Source)
6. The top five countries with the most Instagram users are the United States, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Germany and the UK. (Source)
What are your thoughts? Are you going to quit Instagram because of the acquisition like many users are threatening? Or are you welcoming it with open (hopeful) arms?
