5.0.8 (iOS ) April 3, 2014
Instagram is a free photo and video sharing app for Android, iOS and Windows Phone mobile devices that allows users to create photos and videos and can alienate through filters to make then over the Internet accessible to others. Based on the Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid cameras made with Instagram pictures and videos have a square shape.
Instagram is a blend of microblogging and audiovisual platform, enabling it to spread photos in other social networks.
History
The application was developed by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, who had created Burbn their HTML5 -based check-in Software in San Francisco. They extended Burbn below to photos and Instagram finally published on 6 October 2010 in the App Store. The server side, a number of good open source solutions such as Ubuntu Linux, nginx web server, django and PostgreSQL with PostGIS has been set. Instagram is hosted in an Amazon EC2 Cloud. Among the donors who went early in Instagram, include prominent Internet investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, as well as Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
On April 3, 2012 appeared Instagram for mobile devices with the Android operating system ..
In the same month, Facebook announced that it would take over (760 million euros ) Instagram for the price of one billion dollars. At this time Instagram had twelve employees and no revenue model. The announced purchase price of a billion dollars is far more than was ever paid for the acquisition of a digital photo service. For example, Google Inc. took over Picasa in 2004 for five million U.S. dollars or Yahoo Flickr in 2005 for $ 30 million. When the News Corporation bought out in 2007 Photobucket for $ 300 million a year, this was considered a record sum. Finally went in September 2012 about 737 million U.S. dollars to the Instagram - owner, of which 300 million in cash and 23 million Facebook shares; Reason for the lower was the total since the Facebook IPO in May 2012 drop in share price (issue price of approximately U.S. $ 38, course beginning September 2012 about 19 U.S. dollars).
Due to the acquisition by Facebook, the short message service Twitter blocked in July 2012, the direct retrieval of Instagram content through the Twitter API. Thus Instagram was the second large platform that has been locked through Twitter by LinkedIn.
In early November 2012, released the so-called Web Profiles. These provide users of the service for the first time the opportunity to present their images to the public in the form of a personalized website. The function is evaluated as an adaptation of Instagram on the structure and the concept of Facebook.
A stir Instagram made in December 2012 with the announcement of new, controversial privacy policy, which was partially reversed after protests by the user.
Since November 2013, Instagram is available for mobile phones with the operating system Windows Phone.
Versions
In September 2011, Version 2.0 was released in the App Store. You made some modifications such as instant tilt-shift, four new filters, a higher resolution of photos, optional frame, a new app icon and the Live Filters, which were abolished in 2012.
Mid- August 2012, presented before the Instagram version 3.0 of its app that introduces many new features, among others, at the surface. The biggest change was the introduction of a geotag function by which the user can order his photos on a map, which will also be available for other members of the platform.
Since version 3.5, which was released in May 2013, it is possible to tag other people in the photographs and to display photos on which one was even marked on your own profile.
On June 20, 2013 were posted on the Instagram blog that with Instagram now quadratic videos with different filters can be filmed.
In December 2013 it was made available to users through Instagram Direct possible to send photos and videos only to individual users or groups of users.
The last revision of the web app was the beginning of September 2012 conducted. Since then, the mobile site of the iOS app, functionality and interface is based more on the periphery have been aligned with the classic web app.
As of December 2013, there are 19 selectable photo filters and 13 video filters.
Importance
Number of users
In December 2010, Instagram had a million registered users, in June 2011, there were five million, 10 million in July 2011 and in April 2012, over 30 million. The growth has been strong and continue on September 11, 2012 Mark Zuckerberg announced that Instagram now has over 100 million registered users. 100 million monthly active users reached Instagram to find in February 2013. Until September 2013 this figure rose to 150 million.
Number of Photos
Instagram announced in July 2011 that the limit of 100 million uploaded photos had been exceeded, in August, there were 150 million. In December 2013 there were claims to be 16 billion, with a daily average of 55 million photos were uploaded.
The rapid growth of the platform was also motivated by the fact that many well-known brands have already started so early, maintain a profile on Instagram. The importance of the service is also promoted by the fact that users very often photographing commercial establishments. Thus, the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Siam Paragon shopping center and the Disneyland Resort most frequently photographed in 2012 for example.
Interfaces
Instagram can be used via the provided API and third-party for web, desktop, mobile and tablet applications and services that enable non-members to view and print Instagram photos. Although Twitter does not allow direct access to more Instagram photos combined of the service may be displayed directly within the web app in tweets.
Since the acquisition by Facebook to integrate Open Graph is always continued. Since Instagram 2.5 for iOS or Android 1.1.4, it is possible to take over activities of the service automatically in the Facebook timeline.
The end of 2012 users reported problems with the integration of Instagram into Twitter. Then confirmed the operators of both services that Instagram is no longer using the interface twitter Cards to future increasingly display images on your own website. Experts assessed this measure as a sign of the increasing competition between Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc.
Criticism
With the introduction in December 2012 Statement of Privacy to Instagram, User Content and information, for example, cookies, device IDs, location data or usage data of the parent company Facebook Inc. and the services they allowed to share. According to information from the company, this should serve a better integration of Instagram and Facebook. But was seen especially critical of the fact that Instagram has acknowledged comprehensive utilization and exploitation rights to the pictures uploaded by its users. Due to the ongoing public criticism continued Instagram the passages in question a few days later, and therefore the terms and conditions mostly back to its old level.