Facebook launches Instagram-style camera app for iPhone

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Hot on the heels of its acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion, Facebook has released its own Instagram-style picture taking application for the iPhone.

The new standalone application is available for free (iTunes link) on the App Store, separate from the existing Facebook and Facebook Messenger applications. With the new software, called "Facebook Camera," users can swipe through a feed of pictures from their Facebook friends, and tap to enlarge an individual photo.

The new software also allows users to share multiple photos quickly, all at once, rather than needing to post one at a time. Users can just select the shots they want to share by tapping the check-mark on each photo, then hitting post.

Facebook Camera also features a built-in photo editor that allows users to crop, rotate and add filters to any picture in the iOS Camera Roll. The photo filters are somewhat similar to options in Instagram, the photo taking application and sharing service that Facebook acquired in April for $1 billion.

While the application appears to compete with Instagram, the new Facebook Camera lacks some defining features of Instagram, such as hashtag sharing for specific topics, and mobile-only social circles. According to The Verge, the Facebook Camera team has been working on the application for months, and likely did not know about the company's plans to purchase Instagram ahead of time.

Facebook


Facebook Camera is a 4.9-megabyte download available in English. It is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, fourth-generation iPod touch, iPad 2, and third-generation iPad, and it requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    sierrajeffsierrajeff Posts: 366member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post





    According to The Verge, the Facebook Camera team has been working on the application for months, and likely did not know about the company's plans to purchase Instagram ahead of time.

     


     


    Whoops.  Way to get value from that $1,000,000,000, Zuckerberg (wherever you are).


     


    Personally, I'm so tired of Instagram posts on FB that I'm about to block pictures.  I don't need another "artsy" over-exposed shot of someone's keyboard or close-up of a dog toy.  You're not Ansel Adams, so just stop it already. 


     


    IMHO (emphasis on H and O), I think the whole Instagram thing will die in months if not several weeks, and Zuckerberg's going to be smeared in the press for wasting a billion dollars.

  • Reply 2 of 19
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member


    Again I can't help but wonder who the heck at FB thought Instagram was worth more than about $250 mil.  Of course Zynga paid $180 mil for OMGPOP which might be even sillier.  Does anyone even play Draw Something any longer?

  • Reply 3 of 19
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member


    And in other news, Zuckerberg is no longer a virgin.

  • Reply 4 of 19
    dmarcootdmarcoot Posts: 191member


    I agree that FB vastly over paid for Instagram. This app instantly is connected to all your FB friends and has a built in network of 900 million users. As much as I like instagram, the app, thier talent and user base are not worth a penny more than what FB spent building this app.

  • Reply 5 of 19
    paulmjohnsonpaulmjohnson Posts: 1,380member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post


    Again I can't help but wonder who the heck at FB thought Instagram was worth more than about $250 mil.  Of course Zynga paid $180 mil for OMGPOP which might be even sillier.  Does anyone even play Draw Something any longer?



     


    I can't help but wonder why the investment banks advising Facebook thought a valuation of >$100bn was sensible either.


     


    "Web 2.0" is doing a fine job of creating "Tech Bubble 2.0".


     


    Still, since the markets seem to have jumped back about 15 years, maybe we'll get to party like it's 1999 again.

  • Reply 6 of 19
    kestralkestral Posts: 308member


    Facebook's acquisition of Instagram could have been a defensive move.


     


    Imagine if Google bought Instragram and leveraged it with Google+.

  • Reply 7 of 19
    patranuspatranus Posts: 366member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post


    Again I can't help but wonder who the heck at FB thought Instagram was worth more than about $250 mil.  Of course Zynga paid $180 mil for OMGPOP which might be even sillier.  Does anyone even play Draw Something any longer?





    The purchase had nothing to do with the technology behind Instagram, rather the purchase was to buy Instagram's user base as well as box out any future competition.

  • Reply 8 of 19
    paulmjohnsonpaulmjohnson Posts: 1,380member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Kestral View Post


    Facebook's acquisition of Instagram could have been a defensive move.


     


    Imagine if Google bought Instragram and leveraged it with Google+.



     


    Yeah, Google+'s 2 or 3 users would have been delighted!

  • Reply 9 of 19
    applezillaapplezilla Posts: 941member


    Instagram goes from cool (iOS), to uncool (Android), to Very uncool (Facebook), and now... it's dead.


     


     

  • Reply 10 of 19

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Kestral View Post


    Facebook's acquisition of Instagram could have been a defensive move.


     


    Imagine if Google bought Instragram and leveraged it with Google+.



     


    That, and buying Instagram lets them put this app out w/o fear of suit.  In fact, the app's probably been waiting in the wings for the acquisition.

  • Reply 11 of 19
    jcozjcoz Posts: 251member
    I also get the feeling that it was defensive vs google+.... Many here understandably don't take googles social product seriously but I can assure you, Google does. And Photo sharing is a huge part of social tech.

    Not saying AT ALL that it was a good use of 1B, just saying that with the release of this app, you have to look at other reasons for the purchase beyond the app itself as added features for Facebook itself.
  • Reply 12 of 19


    Apparently there was an issue in California with pre-nups, I can't remember exactly what but it involved Zuck protecting all his stock.

  • Reply 13 of 19
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    kestral wrote: »
    Facebook's acquisition of Instagram could have been a defensive move.

    Imagine if Google bought Instragram and leveraged it with Google+.

    Yes, I can imagine it: it would likely have died a quick death.
  • Reply 14 of 19
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Apparently there was an issue in California with pre-nups, I can't remember exactly what but it involved Zuck protecting all his stock.

    It's basically that all of his shares (and any resulting wealth) from before the nuptials belong solely to him.

    The timing of his wedding wasn't an accident. He's no fool.
  • Reply 15 of 19
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Patranus View Post




    The purchase had nothing to do with the technology behind Instagram, rather the purchase was to buy Instagram's user base as well as box out any future competition.



    Except, everyone else is free to develop an app just like it, only better... checkmate.

  • Reply 16 of 19
    simtubsimtub Posts: 277member


    There's an app by NAVER called PICK, exact clone of instagram and it's huge in Asia... FB...maybe you need to buy this as it has way more users than Instagram over this side of the pond

  • Reply 17 of 19
    halfyearsunhalfyearsun Posts: 304member
    cpsro wrote: »
    And in other news, Zuckerberg is no longer a virgin.

    I would bet against that...and have better odds of making money than investing in Facebook...
  • Reply 18 of 19

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


     


    Yeah, Google+'s 2 or 3 users would have been delighted!



     


    Not true. It has nothing to do with Android ROMs.

  • Reply 19 of 19
    woodlinkwoodlink Posts: 198member
    Betty White was right, Facebook is an enormous waste of time.
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