Instagram to be one of the “top 25 apps” coming to Windows Phone?

January 21, 2012 | By Livven

A report from FastCompany claims that the Windows Phone team could be working with Instagram to bring its incredibly popular photo-sharing app of the same name to Windows Phone 7. This may put the release of a Windows Phone version of Instagram, which is currently available exclusively for Apple iOS, even before the Android version.

While there are certainly some economical reasons for Instagram to prioritize Windows Phone over Android, namely the unified hardware specifications that ensures the same user experience across all Windows Phones and easier development, whereas Android remains fragmented, which makes it harder for software to work consistently on differerent devices, we suspect that this move, should it turn out to be indeed the case, is rather related to the commitment on Microsoft’s part to bring the “top 25 apps” of competing smartphone platforms to its own Windows Phone in the next six months (the “top 25″ is not to be taken literally). With Mango bringing the OS to a more mature version and the introduction of some really great devices, the arguably biggest issue holding back Microsoft’s platform now, besides carrier bias that should be remedied through sales incentives, is the lack of apps.

Per definition, this is a chicken-and-egg issue – without a big user base, few developers will bet big on Windows Phone; without quality apps, many will turn to the iPhone or Android devices. Since Microsoft has previously assisted developers in the porting of apps such as Spotify, it would be no surprise if the same was the case with Instagram.

For those not in the know, Instagram is a photo-sharing network accessible only through its mobile app, which allows you to apply filters to pictures taken with the camera. Even without being available on platforms other than iOS, it boasts an impressive user number of 15 million, with over 150 million photos uploaded, growing at a pace of 15 new photos every second. It was also recently picked by Apple as the iOS app of the year in 2011. In other words, it’s not only massively popular, but exactly the kind of app that tech pundits obsess over.

Source: FastCompany, via The Next Web

About

I'm a 16 year-old student from Germany. I write for xda-developers and WMPoweruser, and design stuff on deviantART. Follow me on Twitter @Livven and circle me on Google+!

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Anonymous

Yea it’s a good thing to have on the WP OS. But……
http://www.facebook.com/people/Milad-Bazzaz/100000479683479 Milad Bazzaz

I really don’t know why anyone would need Instagram…Facebook, flickr, etc. etc..

http://twitter.com/eskeemo Kee

i definitely need it) it’s the easiest / fstest and coolest shoot ‘n’ share app i used

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UWVRPJYQFEG7ZCHPD7LDPBR2CM LWSJR

So you NEED it? Wow.

Once WP gets it, you’ll definitely be dumping your iPhone to get a WP device, yes?

. Jakeway

I dont see the big deal either.
Anonymous

It’s not about getting people to STFU, it’s about getting them to buy WPs. By most accounts close to 15 MILLION people use this app on iOS. People are addicted to this app. I can’t tell you why, but, they are.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UWVRPJYQFEG7ZCHPD7LDPBR2CM LWSJR

The keyword is iOS users – no one else is using this app! How many iOS users do you think will defect to WP if WP gets Instagram, especially with the iP5 forthcoming this year - enough to give WP a huge boost in marketshare? Doubt it……

This app on WP, if WP gets it before Android, will benefit Instagram with additional users, and benefit WP users so that can say ‘naner, naner, we got Instagram before you did’. There’s not going to be some mass exodus from iOS users and feature phone users have never used this app, so I doubt they will care.

Apple will probably just by Instagram and integrate it into iOS, just like they did with Siri.

freestaterocker

Nobody else is using it because nobody else CAN, genius. It’s one less app people that might otherwise switch can point to as their reason not to, and one less app the haters can point to and say “WP will fail because…”

http://www.facebook.com/chuckwhit Chuck Whitaker

I totally agree, im a WP7 user and i want to enjoy what all my friends are using which is Instagram. If the App is popular with IOS user wouldnt u think it would have the same effect with WP7? The more AAA apps the better and not wanting Instagram is complete stupidity.

http://twitter.com/Petulinek Petulinek

Why Instagram on WP? I don’t know anything so much destroyed the photos like this horrible service…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=166400270 Tony Dedrick

WP needs it cause it needs all the f#$%^&! help it can get. And no, no one is under the illusion that a mass of iOS users are gonna dump the phone for one app. But the idea that this platform is in it to win it on all fronts will help tremendously. Gives iOS and Android users the perception that if the app isn’t on WP currently, there’s a chance it will be eventually. Clearly, MS sees it as an important app.

And I don’t get where the hate is coming from or why some WP users act as if this OS or its users are above certain apps or features (not just here, but other WP centric sites as well). I get the feeling if this app were a WP featured app, the shoe would be on the other foot.
http://twitter.com/laserfloyd Lewis McCrary

WP needs it for the fact of just having it so when people ask “does it have X?” you can say “Yes…” It’s redundant to have it but yeah, WP7 needs it for exposure purposes.
Anonymous

Just give me Nike Plus already.
Anonymous

It’s not a Chicken and Egg problem. Here’s this guy’s opinion why:
http://seblc.me/2012/01/16/its-not-a-chiken-and-egg-problem-scoble-continuation/

freestaterocker

Scoble again?! Seriously anybody posting this guy needs to be banned for trolling. He has nothing but hate to contribute
freestaterocker

Ok now that I checked out the link I apologize for accusing you of Scoble-trolling. Scobling, if you will.
Anonymous

His argument makes sense for 2009, but not for 2012 – consumers today are very app savvy.

Anonymous

I kind of disagree. 2009 was only 2 years ago, the iPhone already had over 200,000 apps. So I think he’s bang on.

Anonymous

iOS app store had just over 100,000 apps at the end of 2009 (with growth accelerating at the end of the year). Today you have two huge, well established eco-systems, combined they have hundreds of millions of users. He’s living 2-3 years in the past (or he is you and you’re trolling for blog hits).

José Villaró

If you don’t get it then you don’t get it, maybe it’s not for you. Social networks are just the popular thing right now. People love sharing things and that’s why it’s a really popular. Besides that it allows people to make photos look great (of coarse some better than others, that just make rubbish). I personally enjoy seeing the photos that friends of mine take with Instagram and post to facebook. WP has had a similar app for a long time now, it’s called Bubblegum. It was made by a couple that works in MS, they made it to be very similar to Instagram. It seems to have a small user base but it’s nice. I think that with this generation of windows phones that come with better cameras will make taking photos even more popular. I myself will be taking more photos with a Nokia or Titan 2 that I will surely buy in a couple of months, my Optimus 7 has a really average camera that I don’t like to use very much.
http://www.facebook.com/nizzon Johan Nilsson

Im happy with Apict, awesome app.