Apple Marketing SVP Phil Schiller Deletes Instagram Account Due To Android Expansion
by Joe White
April 20, 2012
It's been a busy time for Instagram. The photo-sharing service, loved by countless iOS fans around the globe, was recently purchased by Facebook for a staggering $1 billion in cash and Facebook stock. Since, a lot of iPhone users have been adopting Instagram alternatives, in opposition to the move. Included in this exodus is Apple SVP Phil Schiller, who has also reportedly dumped his Instagram account in recent days (his username was @schiller).
However, if you're thinking Schiller left Instagram entirely because of its Facebook purchase, think again. In a direct message sent (via Twitter) to one Apple fan and 9to5Mac reader, Schiller claimed that Instagram's recent expansion to Google's Android platform was the reason he jumped ship. The message, included in the screenshot above, reads:
It "jumped the shark" when it went to Android.9to5Mac elaborates:
In terms of iOS marketing – something that Schiller runs at the highest level – Instagram could have been seen as a pull for smartphone buyers to the iOS platform. The fun, convenient, and growing network has been featured several times in Apple’s App Store, even winning “app of the year” recognition. As marketing chief at Apple, seeing one of the platform’s most popular third-party pieces of software running on millions of Android phones is a disappointing sight.Following the original publication of 9to5Mac's article, another reader (Clayton Braasch) sent Schiller an email, asking why Instagram's expansion to Android was reason enough for him to quit the service. If you can't read the screenshot of the emails, here's an important section from Schiller's response:
Instagram is a great app and community. That hasn’t changed. But one of the things I really liked about Instagram was that it was a small community of early adopters sharing their photographs. Now that it has grow(n) much larger the signal to noise ratio is different. That isn’t necessarily good or bad, it’s just not what I originally had fun with.And the corresponding image: Basically, Schiller claims Instagram is now too big for him to like. Ever the early-adopter, Apple's SVP of Marketing enjoys new products in their early days, but appears to drop them once they've made it big ... or in other words, once they've launched on Android. If any more news regarding this hits the Web, we'll let you know.
