I know I’m not alone in hoping that Snapchat’s CEO Evan Spiegel is ultimately buried in a pauper’s grave. He’s smug, privileged but on top of everything he turned down a reported $3 billion offer for the “secure” messaging app when Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) came asking last year. While it may turn out that he and his co-founders are ultimately offered considerably more money, wouldn’t it be nice if he valued himself to highly before a competitor sprung-up?
However, as Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) learned with its first effort to kill off Snapchat, that’s easier said than done.
Poke?
Poke? Exactly.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) pulled the app following the app’s inability to gain any traction with users. Now it’s having another go with Slingshot.
The app allows users to share photos and videos with friends by “slinging” the content to them. It’s a bit of a novelty as you’re not allowed to see what was slung at you unless you “sling” something back to the sender. Not Boomerang? Really?
Regardless of the name, the ephemeral messenger has a minimal interface and like Snapchat allows the user to caption and draw on the videos and photos. And like Snapchat, they disappear once viewed. The app went live today in a few markets BUT that wasn’t meant to happen.
Oops, Facebook accidentally rolled-out Slingshot
A Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) representative confirmed to The Verge that the launch was in fact an accident. “Earlier today, we accidentally released a version of Slingshot, a new app we’re working on. With Slingshot, you’ll be able to share everyday moments with lots of people at once. It’ll be ready soon and we’re excited for you to try it out,” said a Facebook spokesperson.
The Verge is also reporting that Slingshot is likely the second app to come from a group of small teams that are working on Facebook’s smaller projects, a group that calls itself Facebook’s Creative Labs skunkworks division. The first app launched by the skunkworks division was news-reading app Paper that launched a few months ago.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has promised to “shatter itself into pieces” to compete in the mobile market by breaking itself into multiple smaller apps like Messenger. Slingshot is another example of this despite the fact that we shouldn’t have seen it yet.
