Facebook pays $1 billion for Instagram...??

[davidd]

Google Facebook has paid $1 billion for a company called Instagram. It has developed an application that makes iPhone photos look old, and allows you to upload them to the Web for public viewing.

Am I missing something? You can get a washed-out look to your photos with any editing software, and people have been uploading to Facebook etc for years now. 1 billion dollars???

See http://rt.com/news/facebook-instagram-billion-deal-860/

[I @ M]

Not much in the scheme of things when you eventually get control of all rights to all images loaded into the ether.

Just have a look at their policies with failbook images, therefore if you use instagram and load an image to a "rival" social network failbook will probably have you hauled before the courts in the good ole US of A for breaching terms of service.

[ricktas]

not a bad profit when it was started about 3 years ago with $500K, and employs 13 people worldwide. Good payday for those involved. I too wonder how they came up with the price for the sale. The world has gone a bit bonkers.

[arthurking83]

...... Good payday for those involved. I too wonder how they came up with the price for the sale. The world has gone a bit bonkers.

think GFC and the IT crash of 2000 and you get some idea.

Was watching ABC2 last night with the kids, and a 5 min humorous new flash program came up before the show we wanted to watch.

Quite funny in their assessment of the app(Instagram) .. there were comments made about them working on an app that allows you to convert your BR disc movies to the VHS format for that 'ol worlde look' ..... that basically sums up Instagram for me .. an app to make crap images look even more crap!

.. and people can't get enough of it!

[rellik666]

I know people that are addicted to it.....and I just don't get it....

I am glad it isn't just me that is questioning this. "and this company has never made any money" was something I heard about it....so why....

Some more info anyhow can be found in this article. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/296410...1-billion.aspx

[andrewvid]

um... i'm pretty sure it's facebook that bought instagram?? and i am definitely an addicted user, i like the simple interface of it and is just one of those other popular iphone apps.. of course you can make those filters on many other apps and programs but it's just another fun and handy way to share photos and there are certainly many crap, bad and useless photos but there are some professional photographers who also use it as a sort of 'blog' and many people who take absolutely great photos such as quality macro's, landscapes night shoot etc..

although as i am a teenager.. i guess i have a different mindset to you other guys.. i don't see what's wrong with it

[arthurking83]

And yeah you're right it is Facebook that purchased Instagram!

[davidd]

Hi Andrew

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, seems like a useful and fun app.

I just don't see $1billion value!

[andrewvid]

I just don't see $1billion value!

indeed yes it might not be worth that much, although it is fairly popular and depending on what facebook does with it (hope they dont change it one bit.) then they might make quite a bit of money out of it.

[Kym]

Given that Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion you have to wonder. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/...-buys-skype-2/

I mean... I downloaded it for free.

[Tommo224]

Well Facebook can own your Instagram images anyway, before the purchase. I think...

With Instagram you can post the photo you take to both Instagram AND Facebook. It uploads it in to a separate folder on Facebook, as well as supplying a link on the post to view it on the Instagram page.

Now Facebook will just own it in both counts =D hehe.


I don't know how it was valued or why it was valued at $1bil, there has to be some kind of reasoning for it! Maybe they just wanted to nab it up before somebody else came along and got it?!



I like Instagram, I like applying different looks to my photos in Lightroom anyway, and uploading it. Just this gives it a fun way to do it when taken on my phone and share it with people! Whether randoms see it, or just my friends, I don't mind either way. I always upload random pictures I take on my phone through mobile upload, this just gives it another style and way of doing it

Sometimes I use other apps to style the photo, and upload it through Instagram (just applies the square crop, but not using the inbuilt filters).

[arthurking83]

Well Facebook can own your Instagram images anyway, before the purchase. I think...

With Instagram you can post the photo you take to both Instagram AND Facebook. It uploads it in to a separate folder on Facebook, as well as supplying a link on the post to view it on the Instagram page.

.......

WhaatIreallywannaknowis ..... shouldn't these particular people be doing some actual work while at work?!

It appears to me that most workers seem to be more preoccupied with where their iPhone image upload too, rather than on the employment task at hand.

I now fully understand where the Billion dollar values are coming from:

Take one pretty useless app that you don't really need.
Convince everyone that they really do need it, because it helps them to appear funky, cool and in sync with the latest 'trenz'.
Make sure that it's so easy to work with that at every possible opportunity(ie. waking moment!), these funky, trendy cool looking workers tapping away on their life support systems are so distracted by the app, that all other businesses relying on these workers eventually grind to a halt due to the lack of any work being done by the cool looking trendy types funking away on their phones!
The last company standing is the one that originated this virus in the first place .. hence it's not just worth billions, but gazillion$ as it's the only company left in existence that actually gets any output from it's workers who have no idea on how to use the app.

Zuckerberg is no sucker .. he knows what the future is looking like!


LOL! .. I know I shouldn't be so cynical about it, I've never used the program.
.... but I'm sure this is just another app that one of my co workers is addicted too when he puts on his vague mask at work when there's things that need to be done.

[fess67]

um... i'm pretty sure it's facebook that bought instagram?? and i am definitely an addicted user, i like the simple interface of it and is just one of those other popular iphone apps.. of course you can make those filters on many other apps and programs but it's just another fun and handy way to share photos and there are certainly many crap, bad and useless photos but there are some professional photographers who also use it as a sort of 'blog' and many people who take absolutely great photos such as quality macro's, landscapes night shoot etc..

although as i am a teenager.. i guess i have a different mindset to you other guys.. i don't see what's wrong with it

I don't get it but thank you for reminding me that the world is moving forward and your generation is in the driving seat. We love the same things, just approach them differently and that is called progress.

[Kym]

I've updated the OP with http://rt.com/news/facebook-instagram-billion-deal-860/ and changed the title from Google to FB