Instagram, Hipstamatic team up on photo porting
updated 11:20 am EDT, Wed March 21, 2012
Instagram to let Hipstamatic send to Instagram
Instagram and Hipstamatic together outlined a deal on Wednesday that will see Instagram take photos from an outside service for the first time. Hipstamatic users will soon have the option of sending photos to Instagram along with other services, the mobile app developers told Fast Company. The only clue as to the outside source in Instagram will be a "taken with Hipstamatic" tagline and link below the resulting shot.
The two consider it a joint benefit. Hipstamatic chief Lucas Buick noted that it would just reflect a reality shift as posting went less towards Facebook and Twitter and more towards Isntagram. For Instagram itself, it would be more about making Instagram the center of social photography. "We want to allow for more of those photos to end up on Instagram regardless of where they're taken," CEO Kevin Systrom explained.
Hipstamatic, by charging $2 for its app, could stand to benefit by getting extra sales when photographers click the link and decide to buy in. Instagram doesn't get a cut of any profits. Systrom hinted that, if successful, more companies would be invited to send their photos to Instagram.
The two are often thought rivals, with Instagram winning through sheer volume. Hipstamatic has continued to ride the success of the iPhone, however, and made $10 million in 2011 with a small production team.
