Instagram has catapulted to major success, winning iPhone’s app of the year and spawning an entire ecosystem of smartphone photo products. Despite its enormous popularity, the app has remained rather simple, with only one major upgrade being issued and the team staying relatively small.
But an Android app has always been the biggest priority for Instagram, and CEO Kevin Systrom confirmed as much during Le Web this year.
Now, it appears that Windows Phone 7 users will get their hands on the much-anticipated app first. Insiders tell FastCompany that just may be the case. “A source recently left the impression that the Windows Phone team has possibly been working with the folks from Instagram,” says the site. Systrom would not confirm or deny the rumor. “Other than having pre-announced Android, we don’t comment on roadmap stuff.”
Momentum has been building for WP7. The Nokia Lumia 900 has been incredibly well-received, and Microsoft has been hard at work fine-tuning built-in features for its fleet of phones. Of course, all along Windows Phone has been praised for its metro user interface, which Microsoft has been unifying across its products.
But the platform has struggled with apps—in comparison with Android and iOS. It would be a huge coup to get Instagram on board before its major competitor, and also act as a signal for other developers out there playing the wait-and-see game with WP7. WP7 may have pundits rooting for it, but consumers aren’t going to leave their current mobile operating system if they can’t take their apps with them. And Instagram has one of the most loyal user bases out there.
Obviously, the news has to make Android sweat a little. Systrom said that an Android app was due by the end of 2012, though, so it can’t be too far off in the future if his initial projections were correct. But it’s more what deferring to WP7 says about the market competition—that the tide might be turning for developers.
I’m failing to see what the strategy is behind this. Who the hell even has a windows phone anyway?
i too have wp7 i love it mines lg.its thicker.not so many aps on it just enough.it has so many needed features.but not sure if i want to update to an wp8..then i wont be in sync,unless update my laptop also.which is too costly.but i love windows phone.
Glad to see this and in answer to BCLARK a lot more people every day i myself have moved from android to wp7 i am on my second handset going from an omnia 7 to just getting the lumia 900 batman edition and my girlfriend has just swapped from an iphone to the nokia lumia 800 cyan blue that should arrive in a day or so and she is very excited. I would say seriously anyone who hasn’t tried wp7 go and try it it’s the smoothest easiest and imo best phone OS out there with the fastest growing marketplace. The lumia 800 and 900 are beautiful handsets with incredibly good build quality.
luv wp7