Snapchat has taken the world by storm. The picture messaging platform launched back in 2012 has now become a prime source for some of the foolhardiest picture messages you’ll ever see. But it’s all in good fun at the end of it.
With all the success it saw, there’s no surprise that others began jumping on the bandwagon. Instagram did it, Facebook followed more recently and so did the messaging platform Whatsapp. It seems that many have begun “cloning” Snapchat. There was hence, no surprise seeing Apple establish a similar platform.
Introducing Clips – the new iOS app from the iPhone manufacturer, takes a different approach instead of mindlessly cloning Snapchat. The difference here is that Clips is not a social platform. Many would claim that Apple has finally learned that social networks are not its biggest strength, hence the app doesn’t have one. This means, no stories, no ephemeral messages or codes to be shared.
The goal for Clips is quite simple really. To create the same fun factor that was present in Snap chat with creative camera tools and filters minus the social media aspect.
How Does It Work?
Upon starting up Clips, the interface looks like something ripped out of Vine. Users can hold to record their desired video. As with a majority of editing apps, users can string together video, either recorded live or pulled from their album along with still images.
The app can then be used to apply filters and other effects, turning the images into comic-book style line drawings or exaggerating the color and so on. Much like Facebook, Clips also allows for voice-to-text transcription. The whole point is to make the concept of editing fun.
It therefore differentiates Clips from being in the same category as iMovie which is more on the Heavy Duty side. Clips, on the other hand, is much lighter in comparison, which is exactly what it needs to be. The editing software isn’t meant to provide any sense of precision and finesse. So, if you have a short video and some accompanying photos that you want to get in a state to post to Facebook or Twitter, it could end up being the app you would turn to.
A Saturated Market?
Many would ask in light of so many similar apps already having established themselves, Did Apple really have to shell out another app in the same field? The real question here is what makes it unique.
For it to really move forward however, is for it to find some originality (A difficult task by today’s standards). In terms of its competitors, Snapchat’s lenses have become a prime draw to the app, even for people who don’t use it to chat in the first place. Prisma’s AI-powered filters are similarly unique and more importantly intuitive. There will always be a consensus that Clips can have a draw of its own, but it will eventually need its own calling card to stand out on the playing field. It may be too early to point out now, but time will tell.
Are you a fan of Snapchat? It’s possible that Clips will be for you as well. Get it here.
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