In today’s world, it may seem like being on Instagram is essential to keeping up with mainstream media. It looks like Apple finally decided to join in with the rest of us, launching its official account on the social media platform on Monday.
Apple is not a complete stranger to Instagram though, seeing as how it runs ads on the news feed. But it also has several existing accounts for related services and apps it offers like iTunes, Apple Music, and iBooks. All of these accounts appear to have a large following and hundreds of posts published on a regular basis.
Apple’s Instagram handle is — you probably guessed it — @apple and the account already includes a number of posts. Among the curated content are scenic galleries — using shots and videos taken specifically with an iPhone by different photographers. Even though the account was launched on Monday, the follower count is climbing quickly.
As you scroll through each shot in the gallery, you hear some recorded interviews with the artists that play behind each shot explaining their aesthetic and style. The captions under the galleries also include quotes by the photographers along with a handle to their own Instagram accounts for you to tap through and follow — and giving them a large platform to show their work.
While some may wonder why Apple was not in a hurry to create its own account on Instagram, the launch is discreetly accompanied by its already existing marketing campaign. Using the running hashtag #ShotoniPhone, iPhone owners are encouraged to share their own photography taken with the device on Instagram as well.
The “Shot on iPhone” campaign has already been spread across TV commercials and billboards featuring high-quality photos taken by iPhone users. Bringing the campaign to Instagram will help Apple gather even more content to use by expanding the submission pool.
The campaign launch also falls around the same time more rumors about the upcoming iPhone 8 are surfacing. Recent reports claim its camera may be able to capture video at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second through both the rear and front cameras. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus can already record 4K video but only at 30 frames per second.