Apple Finally Invents Instagram, Revolutionizing Your iPhone Photos

It's almost September so you know what that means. It means that Apple is gearing up for its annual iPhone related keynote, in order to satiate the masses with another new slate of hip phones. While we haven't felt a strong feeling of innovation since Steve Jobs was at the helm, Apple is making moves to distract us from the fact that the iPhone 8 may be delayed. The latest distraction? Joining up with the self-obsessed Instagram culture. That's right, Apple has joined Instagram.

The eponymously named account just popped up this week and unlike its Twitter account, Apple seems to be keeping it's Instagram posts alive for the time being. The account currently has nine posts, ~350k followers and is looking to users to create the content. Using the hashtag #shotoniphone Apple is spreading its creative butter on the bread of amateur iPhone photographers and will slowly feature photos from users on its Instagram. Take a photo with your iPhone, hashtag it and you might be part of Apple's innovative process. Or something like that.

Also see: 8 Apple Products I’d Rather Buy Than An iPhone 8

Apple isn't really blowing us away with innovation lately. The most interesting thing about the Homepod could be its connection to the new Apple Watch and that's just boring. The iPhone 7s has been keeping pace with the iPhone 8 in the way of contradictory leaks, muddying any predictions for the phone business.

To me, Apple has always been a lifestyle brand which happens to make tech, for that lifestyle. The lifestyle being closer to luxury and beaches with clear water and shirtless people who play volleyball with gold watches on. Perhaps this Instagram campaign (which is a brand campaign, no matter how you want to look at it) will keep us occupied while Apple gets the iPhone 8 screen worked out.

Instagram is the place for lifestyle brands, ask any Instagram influencer. They exist. Apple is just the latest in a long line of Instagram influencers, the difference is that it has a tendency to take an obtuse amount of credit for reinventing whatever process or tech it improves upon. This time, Apple is going to change the way we view Instagram, as if there are no other brands already encouraging users to provide them with free content.

There are already close to 1mm photos under the #shotoniphone hashtag, with that number surely to grow. Whether or not this is leading into a larger campaign surrounding the iPhone 8 is yet to be determined. But I bet we'll hear something about this Instagram campaign at the September keynote. Something about how your iPhone photos have revolutionized photo sharing on social media or something like that. Apple likes to make you feel special, warm and fuzzy, in order to sell you phones. This is not news.

One has to wonder if all the photos under that hashtag were really taken with an iPhone or if there are some Google Pixel phone photos in there too. Like this one. Is that a before or after meal shot? I can't even tell. Apple can tell. Apple knows what you ate for lunch because it'll probably be on their Instagram page in short order.