Today, Microsoft and Facebook (Burbn) have announced the arrival of the official Instagram app for Windows Phone. It’s been a long time in the making but this is the moment you have all been waiting for.
Announced a few weeks ago in Abu Dhabi during Nokia World, Instagram for Windows Phone has been one of the most coveted and sought after applications for the rapidly growing platform. Constantly cited as the one big “missing apps” for consumers (and being one of the searched for in the Store), Instagram’s arrival has come at an opportune time, seeing as Windows Phone is gaining market share fervently these days.
The service is simple in concept and execution, but it was the right app at the right time. Users simply take photos from their smartphone (or taken live within the app) and can optionally apply a set of retro-filters, giving it a Polaroid-like effect. Users can then post the photo on their timeline within the app (also visible on the web) along with hashtags. By following and being followed, users can build up an audience around those who want a visual experience. Text is minimal as the focus is to let the image tell the story. Images can be cross-posted to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and more.
Instagram started back in 2010 with some venture capital money by Kevin Systrom and Michel Krieger, The app filled in a very large gap for smartphones at the time: the ability to share photos with a social network tie in. The app premiered on the iPhone (iOS) and in April 2012, it arrived on Android, quickly rocketing to become the top-downloaded app on both platforms. Later that year, social network juggernaut Facebook famously bought the company, powered by just 13 people at the time, for a staggering $1 billion.
The service has continued to grow with nearly 150 million monthly users, making it one of the largest social sharing services around. During its ascendant growth, Windows Phone user sat idly on the side awaiting their turn. Despite Nokia’s massive focus on imaging, which seemed like an ideal pair for the photo sharing network, Instagram continued to operate on their own timeline with the fruition of their efforts culminating in today’s release.
Instagram (beta) for Windows Phone 8 is now live in the Store, download here.
Need people to follow on Instagram? Follow some of the Windows Phone Central staff to get started:
- WPCentral: http://instagram.com/wpcentral
- Daniel Rubino: https://www.instagram.com/daniel_rubino/
- Sam Sabri: https://www.instagram.com/samsabri/
- Mark Guim: https://www.instagram.com/markguim/
- Rich Edmonds: http://instagram.com/richsedmonds
- Michael Archambault: http://instagram.com/marcham93
- George Ponder: https://www.instagram.com/coppertop004/
- Jay Bennett: https://www.instagram.com/jaytbennett/
- (Bonus) Nokia: https://www.instagram.com/nokia/
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Introducing Instagram for Windows Phone
"Today, we’re excited to bring you Instagram for Windows Phone.
When we launched Instagram for Android in March of 2012, the community was 30 million strong and growing fast. The Instagram community is now more than 150 million people and reaches every corner of the globe.
In that past year, however, Instagram isn’t all that’s grown. We’ve also seen the rise of a new mobile platform as tens of millions of people around the world have taken to Windows Phones. Our mission is to give everyone the ability to capture and share the moments around them, so our team has been working hard to bring Instagram to Windows Phone users everywhere.
We wanted to make Instagram available to people with Windows Phones as quickly as possible, so we focused on creating an awesome experience with Instagram’s core features. We’re not finished, and our team will continue developing the Windows Phone app to keep releasing features and bringing you the best Instagram possible.
Instagram is a place where people come to be inspired and connect with others, and we’re thrilled to welcome Windows Phone users to the community. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create.
Learn more about Instagram for Windows phone at help.instagram.com and download it shortly from the Windows Phone Store!"
