The tech press fell in love with Twitter's new video-sharing app Vine this week. And rightfully so; it's really, really good. A blast to use.
On the other hand, a lot of people are jumping the gun, proclaiming Vine a revolution. It isn't.
I don't think Vine is a game-changer. I don't think Vine marks the end of that blogger-created quest for the "Instagram of video." (I don't think such a quest needs to exist). I don't think Vine will be a key component to Twitter's future success. (Other content is).
I think Vine is simply a brilliantly executed app that's insanely fun to use, and it makes a great addition to Twitter's portfolio. (In much the same way Instagram makes a great addition to Facebook's ecosystem of apps).
It's been two days since launch and I'm already addicted. Vine even made it to my iPhone's home screen, right next to Instagram.
A few of my favorite features of the app:
- It's fast. Videos in your feed start streaming almost immediately as soon as you scroll past them. Uploads are just as snappy.
- Twitter integration. If you share a Vine on Twitter, it plays nicely in your followers' Twitter feeds.
- You can cram a surprising amount of detailed storytelling into a six-second clip. Spencer Chen is really good at it, and it's really pleasing to watch these on loop.
Of course, there are a few things that need improvement. I'd like to see Tumblr integration, a desktop site that lets you view your Vine feed on a laptop or desktop, and an easier way to embed videos without going through Twitter first.
But overall, Vine 1.0 is a smash hit, despite some early glitches and a tiff with Facebook.
If Vine hadn't been purchased by Twitter last year before the app even launched, you'd be reading a dozen stories right now about how it's the next Instagram and destined to be snapped up by Yahoo –– which is on a hunt for really cool mobile startups–– for a bazillion dollars.
But since Twitter, a giant tech company now valued at $9 billion, already owns Vine, the team has the luxury of making an incredible app even more incredible without worrying about what kind of financial return they'll get out of it.
I can't wait to see what they come up with.
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