Instagram update an insta-success
Instagram late last week rolled out an app update that enables users to upload video in 15-second snippets. As you might expect, users can choose from up to thirteen distinct filters to apply to their video.
So how did Instagram's photo-loving user base take to the app's new functionality? While there were inevitably some detractors who derided Instagram for expanding beyond its core functionality, the new feature thus far seems to be a rousing and unmitigated success.
Speaking to CNET, Instagram said that users uploaded 5 million videos in the first 24 hours since the updated app became available.
At peak, Instagram users uploaded 40 hours of video per minute. The climactic moment came Thursday night as the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs during the NBA Finals, the representative said. The initial numbers suggest that Instagram can bring video sharing to the masses, which historically has proved a difficult task for other app makers.
In getting the word out regarding Instagram's new video feature, Instagram got a little bit of help from NBA star Kobe Bryant who uploaded an Instagram video showing his first steps without a boot since tearing his Achilles tendon last April.
Say what you will about Facebook -- which bought Instagram for $1 billion in April of 2012 -- but the company is particularly aware of and responsive to the latest trends in mobile. When Snapchat began to take off in popularity, Facebook released a Snapchat clone dubbed Facebook Poke. In a similar vein, the success of Vine has not been lost on Facebook and the result is a revamped version of Instagram.
You can check out the updated Instagram app on iTunes over here.
