Facebook Buys Instagram For $1 Billion

[HishamAkhtar]

Really, and it's not going to be "completely" separate anyway. All that means is that Facebook currently plans to keep the business as a separate unit and the software as something that won't be integrated into Facebook directly. But otherwise it's going to be as separate as YouTube is from Google, which is to say less and less.

So, for now you can post Instagram to twitter and elsewhere, but at some point I'm pretty sure that will get shut down, or at least you'll have to post through Facebook somehow.

Yeah I agree with what you're saying. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

Also how much is Twitter worth? Could Apple buy it?

 

[imageWIS]

So rather than innovate and 'create' something new and even better - the vulture capitalist corporation simply purchased the competitor. Just another day in the Corporate States of America

This is really nothing new. And I don't mean in America. It's human history to take what you want by whatever means necessary. I have no problem with acquisitions and mergers... as long as they aren't anti-competitive.

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Yeah I agree with what you're saying. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

Also how much is Twitter worth? Could Apple buy it?

Valuation on Twitter is going to be almost as hard as valuation on Instagram... I've read a 7 to 8 Billion valuation of Twitter... based on how much revenue? ~$140 million. That's crazy. Companies are complicated things, and their value is based on a myriad of factors including not only future potential sales price of the company, but real, tangible factors like key personnel, revenue / profits, and other factors. When the price of things start increasing exponentially for no logical reason: you've got a bubble.

To answer your question: with Apple's massive war chest they could pretty much buy almost anything but the largest tech companies. So they could buy Twitter without batting an eye.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Considering that Facebooks ultimate purpose seems to be a repository of vain girls posing and taking pictures of themselves, I think this is probably a pretty sensible acquisition.

Having read Facebooks TOC, I can't imagine why anyone would put any real information or photo content on there.

 

[afrowq]

Haven't had time to read all the posts, but I sure hope I'm not the only person to ask "what does this have to do with Macs (or Apple)"

 

[faroZ06]

Share photos with your friends and family? Hello, it's called iPhoto and iCloud.
Facebook isn't an innovative company, just a lucky one.

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Haven't had time to read all the posts, but I sure hope I'm not the only person to ask "what does this have to do with Macs (or Apple)"

Instagram is an iPhone app. I guess it's related enough for it to be listed here. No complaint from me, 4 articles in a day is fine.

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Considering that Facebooks ultimate purpose seems to be a repository of vain girls posing and taking pictures of themselves, I think this is probably a pretty sensible acquisition.

Having read Facebooks TOC, I can't imagine why anyone would put any real information or photo content on there.

I have 4 accounts. None have any real info on them except for one, which has my first name. I haven't really used any of them at all for purposes besides spamming Occupy Wall St. with Occupy Occupy Wall St. links and the occasional YouTube video sharing with one of my friends who rarely checks his email (he has a dodgy computer).

 

[E.Lizardo]

WTF Instagram?
I deleted it as soon as I realized I had to set up some fricking account just to use it.I'm perfectly capable of sharing photos in any number of ways,I won't be tied to your stupid"service"just to to so.Worthless and idiotic,just like Facebook.

 

[faroZ06]

Yeah I agree with what you're saying. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

Also how much is Twitter worth? Could Apple buy it?

Twitter is going to die eventually, as is every social networking site. By "eventually", I mean in a shorter period of time than it would take other companies to die. If Apple bought them now, it seems like a bad investment. They are probably at their peak of value.

 

[Xtrucase]

Now that's a good way to drop $1B!

They should also invest into an online video editing app and package it all up!

Please FB!!

 

[faroZ06]

Third.

I never used it. It seems utterly pointless.

 

[jontech]

I was turned off when they put out a droid app and I knew the end was coming

Btw 1 billion is way overpriced. They will lose money on this

 

[TheBlankPage]

If you're not into it, you're not into it...

WTF Instagram?
I deleted it as soon as I realized I had to set up some fricking account just to use it.I'm perfectly capable of sharing photos in any number of ways,I won't be tied to your stupid"service"just to to so.Worthless and idiotic,just like Facebook.

I never used it. It seems utterly pointless.

Hey guys, if Instagram isn't for you, that's fine, but that doesn't make it either
"worthless and idiotic" or "utterly pointless" just because it's not your cup of tea...

For many amateur and professional photographers, IG has been a great creative outlet, a way to see what other photographers are doing and a way to get feedback. While it definitely contains a lot of crap "look at my blurry lunch" photos, that's not what has engaged the photography crowd.

For me, it was worth having an account just as a one-stop shop to check out other photographers. Now, I'm skeptical and am hoping for the best (but expecting the worst...)

 

[Rocketman]

I'd love to know how FB valued a 12 person company with zero revenue at a billion dollars.

Thank you Steve Jobs and WWDC. Nuff said.

The tax states they live in thank them. They should immediately purchase residences in non-tax countries before they liquidate any long term capital gains! (I told you so).

Just Rocketman

Foundation.

 

[afrowq]

It's not strictly an iphone app. It's a mobile device app. There's a million mobile device apps. I still don't see why this warrants a post on macrumors.com

Share photos with your friends and family? Hello, it's called iPhoto and iCloud.
Facebook isn't an innovative company, just a lucky one.

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Instagram is an iPhone app. I guess it's related enough for it to be listed here. No complaint from me, 4 articles in a day is fine.

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I have 4 accounts. None have any real info on them except for one, which has my first name. I haven't really used any of them at all for purposes besides spamming Occupy Wall St. with Occupy Occupy Wall St. links and the occasional YouTube video sharing with one of my friends who rarely checks his email (he has a dodgy computer).

 

[xraytech]

Any recommendations for a replacement app?

Try PATH

I've been using it for quite some time. I rarely use Instagram now.

 

[ChrisTX]

I've used instagram only on a handful of occasions. Good for instagram, and Facebook. Bad for everyone else.

 

[Flitzy]

I see the Internet is still overreacting to every thing these days.

No, it's not the end of Instagram.
No, the sky is not falling.
No, Facebook is not evil.
Yes, this will make things better.
Yes, it's good for the developers.

 

[Menopause]

No they won't. They just got a billion dollars.

I meant decline in quality and management. Not money.

 

[throx]

大家都很嫉妒嘛

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I see the Internet is still overreacting to every thing these days.

No, it's not the end of Instagram.
No, the sky is not falling.
No, Facebook is not evil.
Yes, this will make things better.
Yes, it's good for the developers.

Correct, most ppl/nerds are overreacting. Thinking internet is everything.

 

[rocknblogger]

I see the Internet is still overreacting to every thing these days.

No, it's not the end of Instagram.
No, the sky is not falling.
No, Facebook is not evil.
Yes, this will make things better.
Yes, it's good for the developers.

Thank you. Another voice of reason. People are absolutely batty around here. But then again its just the mob mentality taking over.

Can't really blame the weak minded

 

[pdjudd]

It's not strictly an iphone app. It's a mobile device app. There's a million mobile device apps. I still don't see why this warrants a post on macrumors.com

Until about a week or two ago it was an iPhone app only. My guess is that when this was being negotiated it was still iOS only. Second, the growth on this app and it’s popularity has been pretty popular. That alone, just like the latest Angry Birds (which has been multi-platform for a while) gets a new release. It’s big news.

The amount of the purchase also makes this a big thing too. It’s being reported everywhere.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I'm a semi-pro photographer and I really like Instagram. It's fun and you can get some cool results with it. People complaining about the application of filters to the images would do well to remember that practically every image you see in print and on the Web has been altered with filters of one sort or another. Retouching for artistic effect is nothing new. It dates back to the birth of photography itself.

While I find this acquisition somewhat troubling I'm not about to panic yet. I'll stick with Instagram until it stops being an app that I like to use.

 

[afrowq]

You know what else is big news? George Zimmerman. Bubba Watson. Mitt Romney. Foreign relations with China. But I don't think those are relevant to Macrumors.com. All of which you can read about on your iphone if you do a web search for them. I still don't see how instagram warrants a post on macrumors.com

Am I just pining for the days of rumors about Macs on Macrumors.com? Perhaps.

Until about a week or two ago it was an iPhone app only. My guess is that when this was being negotiated it was still iOS only. Second, the growth on this app and it’s popularity has been pretty popular. That alone, just like the latest Angry Birds (which has been multi-platform for a while) gets a new release. It’s big news.

The amount of the purchase also makes this a big thing too. It’s being reported everywhere.

 

[robertjones]

i cannot blame instagram..if someone showed me 1 billion dollars right in front of my face..i would sell out so quick ..

Yes, we can't blame instagram. It's all about business. At least, it shows us a common sense: Good wine needs no bush. The best way to win the market share is to create a good product.

 

[faroZ06]

It's not strictly an iphone app. It's a mobile device app. There's a million mobile device apps. I still don't see why this warrants a post on macrumors.com

So? Many apps are on platforms besides iOS. It is an iOS app, so it relates to Apple. Anything that changes about this app will affect iOS users (Apple users).

Safari has a Windows version, by the way.

 

[pdjudd]

I still don't see how instagram warrants a post on macrumors.com

MacRumors is a news site that covers Apple stuff and various tech news. This is covered under IOS news. The other stores, while interesting, aren’t related to the tech sector.

Arn decides what gets posted here since its his site. This is big news regarding an App that got famous for being on iOS. It’s sale to a big company has gotten news in mainstream press. Such things are going to get covered on sites like this. It’s relevant. Apps gets discussed on this site all the time even if they are not iOS games. If it has to do with an Apple product, it can get posted. You have an issue with the story selection, you are free to email Arn. He clearly thought it was relevant and I agree with him.

ETA:

So? Many apps are on platforms besides iOS. It is an iOS app, so it relates to Apple. Anything that changes about this app will affect iOS users (Apple users).

Safari has a Windows version, by the way.

This. Take Rovio for instance. When Angry Birds Space was released on iOS it received big headlines, even though all of the games are available on various desktop, browser, and mobile platforms. I even thing ABS was released first on an Android device (only one though due to direct sponsorship from a handset maker) a couple of days earlier.

Instagram until a week or so was exclusive iOS - it had to have been when Facebook was talking about buying them. Heck, Gruber even says that this is a big statement about iOS:

I’d say Instagram’s success and high acquisition price show that iOS is the dominant mobile platform.