Instagram on Windows Phone

[MacDaMachine]

I know WP8 is new and I will give it time to grow but I am sorry because if things don't change I will leave. I love WP but I am not happy.

ok bye? I understand wanting instagram, but Temple Run? Who is still playing it? Hasn't been a true update for that game at all, and plenty of other good games have came out.

 

[Wyn6]

I don't get it....Why do people come on here and say why do we need 7,000+ thread about Instagram? Let me tell you why...Because SOME OF US ARE NOT HAPPY and for one I am glad there are others out there like me. I've pay for my phone 2 years ago and trully I want apps that other phones have. I am feeling left out....first it was Words with Friends, now its Instagram and Temple Run and later it will be Songpop. I feel the WP apps releases will never catch up.

I know WP8 is new and I will give it time to grow but I am sorry because if things don't change I will leave. I love WP but I am not happy.

I understand you may not be happy about WP8. And, if that's the case, why did you buy a WP8 device to begin with? I'm not being an arse or anything, I'm sincerely wondering what led you to your purchase decision as there is plenty of information about what does and doesn't exist on WP8.

There are a ton of great games you won't find on the other platforms, but evidently Temple Run is important to you as is Instagram. But, even moderate research into Windows Phone would reveal neither of those two apps exist on the platform. Sure, Temple Run has been officially announced, but no release date has been given. And, as far as Instagram is concerned, don't hold your breath.

That being said, you decided to purchase a device presumably knowing these apps and certain others aren't available for it. Why? And, then you proclaim to be unhappy? That's like me wanting a house with an open kitchen area with an island, looking at several houses, then purchasing the only house that doesn't have an open kitchen with an island and complaining about how I'm not happy that it doesn't have an open kitchen with an island.

Again, don't take this wrong way as I'm truly trying to understand here. Personally, I would've purchased a house with an open kitchen area with an island and been happy about that purchase. That is unless another house had features I just loved and I decided I could live without that open kitchen and island. If that were the case, I wouldn't then turn around and complain that I'm unhappy. Now, I do understand that buyer's remorse does exist. However, researching what you wish to buy then buying what YOU WISH to buy goes a long way towards mitigating that particular phenomenon.

Just trying to see where you're coming from here.

 

[TheZuneLune]

Anyone read this? Claims 2012 release.... The Verge is pretty legit TOO.... Instagram is coming to Windows Phone (updated) | The Verge

BGR has the story, too.

 

[nognats]

BGR has the story, too.

I posted this early in this forum. I'm a huge windows phone fan and it doesn't make a difference if there are apps or not. Nokia makes the best hardware and windows phone is the best software all bar none. However it does annoy me there's no instagram. And no, its not coming any time soon. Bgr is a terrible news source. And secondly read the entire verge article. Its all skepticism. The app they thought was instagram was vimeo and they reached out to instgram and they said they have no intention of getting an app out there. This doesn't matter to me because I use windows phone not because of the apps but the principle that I want to support a system. The apps will come if people stay with it. Don't be greedy or spoiled. Were lucky windows phone even exists.

 

[JamesTBurns]

I still don't "get" instagram. I have an account, I think I've posted like 8 pictures. There is a similar app called Hipster for iOS I like much better, and I'm much more prone to take a picture, tweak it with Snapseep, then share to FB, Twitter, Tumblr, G+. Can someone please explain the allure of Instagram to me? TIA

 

[Tahiti Bob]

I'd say it's simply about the social aspect. They have a large database and if you have friends using these sorts of apps, they're most likely using Instagram. It's the same as using WhatsApp or Words with Friends when you know there are better alternatives: if all your friends are on these, why would you use something else? That's why people coming with a million names of apps that do the same thing are not helping, they're missing the point.

 

[Big Supes]

Instagram must be run a bunch of anti-MS fanboys. Whilst that sounds silly, I really don't understand why they won't even allow 3rd party apps.

 

[iamtim]

Anyone read this? Claims 2012 release.... The Verge is pretty legit TOO.... Instagram is coming to Windows Phone (updated) | The Verge

Yeah... did you read the second update down at the bottom? It says, "Update 2: We're hearing from sources familiar with the situation that Instagram is not investing its own resources into the development of a potential Instagram app."

On a different yet related note, I totally get why people want Instagram on WP8. I'd like to have it... I was using it for a while and trying to get my GF to use it. She resisted, I gave up and got a Lumia 820. Now she's all over Instagram. So I'd love to have it. But the bottom line is that *if* it comes, it won't be for a while. If you're in the "I must have Instagram or I'm dropping WP8" crowd, you're probably going to be better off dropping WP8 and going Android or iOS.

 

[corn_chowder]

Doesn't MS have a significant ownership in Facebook? and Facebook owns Instagram?

 

[zakkforchilli]

Yeah I can read.

And to others wondering why it's so special
The user base on there is spectacular. It ends up being personal friends mostly, but the ability to easily ween out spam, and locate some very interesting people. Mainly the fact that it's the flagship app for photo sharing. The WP8 imitators won't have anywhere near the same user base.

 

[zakkforchilli]

Doesn't MS have a significant ownership in Facebook? and Facebook owns Instagram?

They own like 1.6% of Facebook. Mostly for the usage of ADvertising.

 

[jhguth]

Lomogram is a photo filter program. People want instagram because of the social network part more than the photo filters.

Lomogram automatically uploads to twitter, twitpic, facebook, etc... its a pretty decent stop-gap replacement

I think the best chance we have at instagram is if instagram gives microsoft special permission to develop a client for it. since instagram doesnt do that, it might take some type of cash investment from microsoft to make that happen.

with twitter adding photo filters (on android and iOS, not WP8 :unhappy, and instagram cutting twitter integration, i think twitter is going to start replacing instagram. as that happens, Lomogram will become an even better replacement.

 

[dsirico]

Despite the billion dollar price tag, I don't think Instagram (or many of these proprietary, non-unique but popular social media outlets) has staying power, its success is built on a standard trend dynamic but without standalone appeal. The only reason its popular is because kids tell us so, not on its own merit. At its core, it should be a feature of Facebook ... not its own software. Which is probably why Zuckerberg bought it. I don't care what he claims about growing the app independently Facebook is looking for new ways to keep THEIR product relevant in the social space and if 6, 18 or 24 months from now that means integrating Instagram then that's exactly what he'll do.

IMO, Windows Phone solves a problem that doesn't *quite* exist yet ... the app bubble. Android and iOS have become reliant on hundreds of thousands of bits and pieces of fractured software. Its like needing an app to get out a pot, but another app to get the spaghetti, and another app to put the stove on. Windows Phone, to me, seems like a step in the right direction where all of that is part of one app called "cooking", perhaps part of a larger app called "life". The integration, seamless transitions, the reasons I bought the 8x. In that analogy by the way, Instagram is the salt. There is no unique benefit it just adds a teeny bit of flavor to something else. The standalone platform of the service doesn't even need to exist with Twitter and Facebook still omnipresent.

As soon as the kiddies latch onto some other new, hip photo sharing site/app and mom and dad start downloading it for their ancient iPhones, Zuckerberg will pull the shoot and integrate a hybrid version of Instagram into Facebook's core. And it'll be onto renting the next pointless, silly social sharing real estate that we're sure we can't live without. I wish I could fast forward to 2020 and see where Pinterest and Instagram and FlickR etc. end up, who survives, who dies and who gets gobbled up by Google or Walmart or maybe The United States, Inc.? :amaze: Will Facebook go the way of Myspace? Seems like anything is possible when the entire social industry is driven at the ground level by tweeners.

The point of this rant (which is clearly going to do nothing here) is that at worst not having Instagram takes away about 15% of the coolness of my Facebook participation, which is waning as of late anyway, I can live without it. In the grand scheme it really doesn't matter, this phone kicks ass with or without the social media flavor of the week. Shame more people don't realize this because I agree with the unfortunate sentiment here that WP8 probably needs this nonsense to grow its market share.

 

[aubreyq]

@dslrico: Bravo! Well said. *standing ovation*

 

[jhguth]

On a related note to ^^ post, the new Myspace looks pretty nice https://new.myspace.com/play

 

[Stryfeno1]

I understand where you are coming from, but this lack of app doesn't stop with Insatgram. There is alot of popular app missing from WP environment. Alot of you just brushing it off and saying "oh well if it dont have X, Y and Z I can live with it." How do you want WP to get marketshare and grow? The windows phone logo are missing from popular sites and Facebook pages like Zinga even-though their games is on WP. Why iss that? Alot of people still don't know what is a Windows Phone.

I gave it time to grow and I'm tired of empty promises. My contract is up in Feb and I think I had a good ride but unfortunately it's time to abandon ship.

 

[spaulagain]

I understand where you are coming from, but this lack of app doesn't stop with Insatgram. There is alot of popular app missing from WP environment. Alot of you just brushing it off and saying "oh well if it dont have X, Y and Z I can live with it." How do you want WP to get marketshare and grow? The windows phone logo are missing from popular sites and Facebook pages like Zinga even-though their games is on WP. Why iss that? Alot of people still don't know what is a Windows Phone.

I gave it time to grow and I'm tired of empty promises. My contract is up in Feb and I think I had a good ride but unfortunately it's time to abandon ship.

I bought Windows Phone because of the OS not so I could waste money on stupid apps like Instagram.
WP offers a lot of cool features the other OSes don't including native Office and Outlook integration which is extremely valuable for those of us in the business world.

Some of us "Blow off" the lack of some apps because they simply don't matter to us, or at least not enough to jump ship.

Microsoft's platform with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 is a breeze to develop for so there is no doubt these apps will come. Its just the chicken or the egg syndrome. Users before apps or apps before users?

Don't like it, go back to the cluster**** Android, or the over priced iPhones.

 

[Winterfang]

I like Instagram, not because of the community, not because of the filters but because it just takes better pictures than my regular camera. Is a nice application.

 

[Ultimateone]

If you guys didn't know, soon they will be adding advertisements all over Instagram so I'm sure that will surely anger many people and ruin the experience somewhat. This was made official today by some Facebook exec.

 

[dsirico]

I understand where you are coming from, but this lack of app doesn't stop with Insatgram. There is alot of popular app missing from WP environment. Alot of you just brushing it off and saying "oh well if it dont have X, Y and Z I can live with it." How do you want WP to get marketshare and grow? The windows phone logo are missing from popular sites and Facebook pages like Zinga even-though their games is on WP. Why iss that? Alot of people still don't know what is a Windows Phone.

I gave it time to grow and I'm tired of empty promises. My contract is up in Feb and I think I had a good ride but unfortunately it's time to abandon ship.

I don't put Instagram in the same category as Facebook or even Angry Birds for that matter. Facebook in and of itself offers a unique product and service right now that the whole world uses to interact with each other. "Facebook-like" isn't going to cut it in that community and there are real, tangible reasons why not. Sans a few minor flaws I actually like the 3rd party Facebook app on WP8. Angry Birds is a propriety game, if you want to play Angry Birds, you need the Angry Birds app. But Instagram, at its core, seems like a feature of some other, more robust software (like Facebook). Other apps do exactly what it does (some do it better), its not at all unique. What I'm hearing here (and I agree with it) is that Instagram provides a coolness bump and social media storage (confused with a "community"). Again, there are other apps that run photo filters over your images and posts to Facebook ... and again ... some do it better (IMO). But whats missing is the "posted from Instagram" tag on the bottom. The "community" is minimalistic engagement and interactivity over a file sharing service. It doesn't need to exist, the actual social platforms are Facebook and Twitter. Does anyone really use Instagram exclusively to communicate with other people? I guess those people would NEED this app, I don't so I don't. What would make the most sense is if Facebook simply asked you if you would like to run Instagram-like filters over your photos when you upload them from any device. Which, as mentioned, is probably where its going now that they own it.

So I agree ... apps that some people feel are unique or at least do it significantly better than the others (warranted or not) like Pandora or Whatsapp ... or proprietary apps like ESPN Fantasy Football (pleeeeeeese guys get this!) are must-adds if WP8 wants to play in this space. But it doesn't need every non-unique, non-essential, trendy hipster social media fragment to survive.

ALL of that said, despite this rant, as long as millions of people refuse to acknowledge this and propagate the perception that WP8 is a lesser product because Instagram doesn't exist ... then from a business perspective its certainly not gonna hurt to get this particular app on the platform.