Snapchat has become one of the popular social apps since 2013, and it's available for iOS and Android devices only. Its logo looks like a happy ghost face which originally inspired by a music group called Wu-Tang Clan. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, it does not have a website interface that you can log in. You must download the app to the mobile devices to use it. Besides adding friends to Snapchat and texting to one another, it features photos and videos sharing with the ability to set a timer between 1 and 10 seconds to self-destruct. And it does not allow the recipient to save the file. You can take a photo or a video and then add a caption or a doodle. By using your finger, you can do a color drawing or add filters to fit your moods and save in a gallery. Unlike LINE app, Snapchat is not that user-friendly and requires users to learn all its features to begin to use it.
Controversies continue
Despite its popularity, Snapchat is always surrounded by controversies. In the earlier days, one of the three co-founders, Reggie Brown who initiated massive legal action against the company until it recognized that he was the one who came up with the idea.
Due to one of Snapchat's features that the messages will disappear after few seconds after sending out, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigated the company for misleading practices since the recipients still able to retrieve the messages either through screen capture function or from other apps or use another device to capture the image. There were some incidents reported that intimate photos had unintentionally surfaced to the Internet. Many parents are concerned and angry about their young kids using Snapchat since it used as a sexting tool or unknowingly exposed privacy information to the Internet. In Snachat Guide for Parents, it said it's prohibited for a child under 13 to use it, but Snapchat doesn't ask for age on signup.
For Windows Phone users, the Snapchat app won't be available in the Microsoft store at all since it's not a matter of bridging the technology. The Snapchat company purposely does not want to develop the app for Windows devices. The company suits anyone third-party developers tried to develop such app in the Microsoft Store. For example, in late 2014, Rudy Huyn created a Snapchat client app called 6snap, was forced to pull out from the store. Just recently, February 2016, a Windows app called Specter was made available by another developer which costs $1.49. We are not sure the faith of this app and how long it will last. The Snapchat users who downloaded 6snap last time had their Snapchat accounts warned and locked by Snapchat. The controversial history of Microsoft's mobile platform is likely to continue.
Due to one of Snapchat's features that the messages will disappear after few seconds after sending out, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigated the company for misleading practices since the recipients still able to retrieve the messages either through screen capture function or from other apps or use another device to capture the image. There were some incidents reported that intimate photos had unintentionally surfaced to the Internet. Many parents are concerned and angry about their young kids using Snapchat since it used as a sexting tool or unknowingly exposed privacy information to the Internet. In Snachat Guide for Parents, it said it's prohibited for a child under 13 to use it, but Snapchat doesn't ask for age on signup.
For Windows Phone users, the Snapchat app won't be available in the Microsoft store at all since it's not a matter of bridging the technology. The Snapchat company purposely does not want to develop the app for Windows devices. The company suits anyone third-party developers tried to develop such app in the Microsoft Store. For example, in late 2014, Rudy Huyn created a Snapchat client app called 6snap, was forced to pull out from the store. Just recently, February 2016, a Windows app called Specter was made available by another developer which costs $1.49. We are not sure the faith of this app and how long it will last. The Snapchat users who downloaded 6snap last time had their Snapchat accounts warned and locked by Snapchat. The controversial history of Microsoft's mobile platform is likely to continue.
Snapchat Financial Outlook
On the financial side, since Snapchat had turned down $3 billion offer from Facebook in 2014, the company tries very hard to have a stable revenue generation model mainly from in-app purchases such as lenses filters and to show the ad. Then later, there are other efforts put into revenue generation, such as Live Stores, Discover, and Local. Live Stories allow users at a location to contribute Snapchats of the same story, and Snapchat Local gives users access to localized information. And the Discover is a content discovery site that allows users to see updates on news, sports videos, and micro TV channels like ESPN, CNN, and The Food Network. Snapchat is hoping to go public once they can perfect the business model. However, we are looking forward how this arrogant company will turn out.
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