Back in November of last year, after a bid to buy Snapchat for $3 billion was rejected by Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, Facebook began working on its own version of Snapchat called the Slingshot app.
Just recently, Slingshot was accidentally launched on the Apple store and quickly removed, although there were pictures and descriptions captured that provide a taste of what can be expected from the rival Snapchat app. Alike Snapchat, it seems that with Slingshot you'll be able to snap photos or record short videos and quickly fire off these moments to other Slingshot users. However, users won't be able to view sent content until they "sling" something in return, which seems to ensure that there will be a perpetual back and forth between sender and receiver. Although Slingshot was quick to disappear from the app store, it probably won't be gone forever like a Snapchat.
Rival Photo Messaging Apps
Facebook's Slingshot App Will Launch as a Direct Snapchat Competitor
Trend Themes
1. Synchronous Photo Messaging - Apps that promote back-and-forth photo messaging are gaining in popularity and are disrupting the traditional asynchronous messaging format.
2. Direct Messaging Competition - Apps that compete directly with established messaging apps like Snapchat are entering the market and disrupting the dominant players.
3. Innovative User Engagement - New messaging apps are incorporating unique user engagement features that are disrupting traditional messaging app norms.
Industry Implications
1. Messaging Apps - The messaging app industry is experiencing increased competition and must innovate to keep up with new entrants like Slingshot.
2. Social Media - Social media giants like Facebook are looking to expand into the messaging space and disrupt incumbents like Snapchat.
3. Mobile App Development - Developers of new messaging apps are disrupting the traditional mobile app development process by introducing innovative features that challenge the status quo.