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  1. Facebook buys Instagram, still released own camera app

    http://gizmodo.com/5913053/new-facebook-camera-app-is-pretty-much-instagram
    Dango9
    #27036 • 2012-05-25 00:22:39 • Dango9 said:

    Hello! I'm new, but I have been reading this site for a little while. I want to get into the community, so maybe this link will be my entrance token? XD Anyway:

    Some time ago Mark Zuckerberg, the dude who made facebook, bought Instagram, the place for the hipster masses to be hipsters publicly by posting pretty (or not) vintage-looking photos. And from what I've seen today, they aren't even going to keep it up. Instead, they're releasing their own app that basically copies Instagram though.

    So what, did they waste money? Did they eliminate their competition in an elaborate move? Or am I not catching something here?

    Also: Be polite please, okay? XD

  3. Trev
    #27037 • 2012-05-25 00:24:03 * • Trev said:

    @Dango9: I don't understand this business move at all. I'm as positively stumped as you are.

    The only thing I could think of would be maybe patent or copyright infringement issues.

  4. someone
    #27038 • 2012-05-25 00:27:28 • someone said:

    It's a pretty simple business move really: Facebook wants to release a camera app (In this case, Facebook Camera). Facebook finds that there's another app out in the market that does said features and is taking up the market share (Instagram).

    The solution? Simple. Buy out the competition, so that they can't say "We're suing you for software infringement!" (and with the clusterfuck that is the Apple/Samsung lawsuits, this is a very possible scenario). So now that Facebook has the market share, they can use it to promote their app.

  5. Trev
    #27041 • 2012-05-25 00:36:07 * • Trev said:

    @Gargron:

    For a billion dollars? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    I'd do a line of coke off Richard Simmons's sweaty workout equipment for a billion dollars.

  7. VivoDePyre
    #27065 • 2012-05-25 05:37:47 • VivoDePyre said:

    Perhaps it's related to the recent public stock of facebook. Increasing the value of this Facebook app help their general stock, where as instagram is ONLY instagram. This is based on a vague knowledge of how stocks work though...

  8. IIEarlGreyII
    #27730 • 2012-05-29 17:25:28 • IIEarlGreyII said:

    I had to do a paper on this for my marketing class, basically what @someone said is true, but the main purpose was actually to stop people from using Instagram. Facebook wants to be in control of your social media so that they can control (and collect revenue from) all the ads you see. With Instagram they began to see significant market loss for those who were more interested in posting pictures than statuses.

    In fact they completely redeveloped their photo system due to Instagram, and then basically decided to buy the fellows, I daresay. Still though, it worries me that they spent so much on a single app, their stock has not been doing as nearly well as expected recently. I rather enjoy facebook, so I hope they do not turn to ruin.

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