The mobile app game goes through trends and it appears like the hottest thing going now is photo-sharing apps. So, I thought it would be fun to ask: how do you share your photos?
Even though the mainstream mobile app space isn’t that old, we’ve already gone through waves in the industry. It started with the overnight millionaires thanks to the Apple App Store and it has progressed to the point where any innovative idea brings about tons of copycats. A few years ago, any company making a check-in service could get funded or acquired and then the app momentum moved to the group-messaging market.
Now, we’re firmly in the era of photo sharing. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and check out the App Store. Flickr and Facebook are now the old-school ways to share and store your photos, as there are a crop of new ways to send people your cell phone photo shots.
Instagram probably kicked off the whole craze last year, as its ability to share photos with filters really resonated with users and it seemingly came from nowhere to attract more than 10 million users even though it’s iOS-only. Interestingly enough, Instagram started as a Foursquare clone with check-ins but it pivoted to a far more interesting subject.
Shortly after, the Path app debuted and tried to create its own spin on social networking by focusing on sharing photos with only 50 friends. It eventually expanded that circle and even reportedly turned down acquisition offers from Google but it’s been almost a year later and I don’t see any buzz around Path still out there.
The interesting offshoot of the photo-sharing craze is the rise of using these digital device to send old-school postcards. Postagram and Postcard on the Run offered easy ways to create and send postcards from your phone’s photo gallery and these seemed like a fun distraction but once Apple stepped into this market with its own app, it made me start to think that there could be a sizable market around using smartphones to send postcards to friends and family.
We’ve also seen high-profile photo-sharing apps die before having a chance to live, as Google’s Pool Party was a beautiful app that probably should have never been released because it didn’t fit in with the company’s Google+ social networking strategy. The Color app generated much vitriol because the company raised $41 million before the app was released and the product seemed half-baked and not well thought out. The Color team is reportedly refocusing on a Facebook app that (wait for it) helps you share photos in a more intuitive way.
The Batch app is the latest program that’s gaining buzz in the mobile photo space and we’ll have to see if this slick-looking app can maintain momentum after its splashy debut. As smartphone cameras continue to get better and better, I’m guessing the hunger to share those photos in a visually-interesting way will stick around. So, what do you use to share your photos?
