The battle of ecosystems continues: The most stubborn can drag on Facebook through Whatsapp
Over the weekend, there was information that Facebook was in talks to purchase the cross-platform Whatsapp mobile messenger , which many use as a more convenient and free replacement for SMS . If the negotiations are really underway and will be successful - when Whatsapp becomes part of Facebook, then even those who did not want to open an account on Facebook can quickly find themselves there.
Whatsapp for sale?
This quote from the Techrunch publication was the catalyst for a wave of publications in which industry media began to discuss possible scenarios:
“WhatsApp, the cross-platform mobile messenger that has become the hero of numerous success stories due to the lack of advertising and paid services, is in the process of negotiating a Facebook purchase, as the relevant parties report.
Whatsapp is the absolute leader in its category in 114 countries, and one of the top five in 145 countries . The Dutch mobile operator KPN called WhatsApp the cause of an avalanche-like drop in SMS traffic in its network in early 2011. Since then, the volume of SMS traffic in a number of countries has begun to decrease exponentially. The annual decline in Spain was 25% last summer. In 2012, AT&T and Verizon included sms traffic quotas in their monthly subscriptions, perhaps just because of the fear of SMS erosion, which threatens in 2013.
In August, Whatsapp reported that it processes 10 billion messages daily . The popularity of the messenger is constantly growing, and at the moment it is estimated at 100 ... 200 million users (up to 500M according to Google Play)
WhatsApp is an example of a successful application, the popularity of which exceeds its counterpart from Apple, including geographically. Apple’s iMessage is a good service, but when it managed to reach 300 billion messages, Whatsapp was already processing that amount in about a month.
WhatsApp successfully crushed competitors in Europe, North and Latin America. In Asia, he has worthy rivals like KakaoTalk and WeChat. Several European operators have already expressed their concerns about the erosion of SMS, caused, in their opinion, by three factors: WhatsApp, Facebook and iMessage.
A bit later, Whatsapp commented on a TechCrunch article:
The TechCrunch article is a rumor, and contains factual errors.
At the moment, we have nothing to add.
But rumors rarely appear from scratch?
So who can buy whatsapp?
If Facebook actually swallows WhatsApp, then the resulting giant will occupy most of the growing mobile messaging market, and Facebook will receive excellent weapons against Google in the battle of ecosystems , because instant messaging is Google’s Achilles heel, which failed to turn Gmail + Gtalk into full-fledged a platform for mobile communications (in terms of popularity - because only Gmail is popular).
Other alternatives for those who want to buy an instant messaging service can be Kakao Talk (65 million users), Line (75 million), Nimbuzz (100 million) and even Kik (30 million) .
People are much more willing to install Whatsapp than join Facebook, because it’s easier, and Whatsapp doesn’t require you to share your information with the world. If Whatsapp truly becomes part of Facebook, then one day such non-users may find themselves on Facebook against their will.
Meanwhile, the Android version of Facebook Messenger canceled the requirement for an FB account
Perhaps a wave of rumor postings has prompted Facebook to increase pressure in the fight against SMS. Starting today, people who want to use Facebook Messenger do not need a Facebook Account . Instead, it will be possible to use just a mobile number and name - as in Whatsapp. Thus, those who do not have a Facebook account will be able to use the messenger.
Is Whatsapp suitable for Google?
In my opinion, Whatsapp is much better suited to Google, as their Gtalk messenger, although formally exists and works, but does not develop, and it is so noticeable that people ask questions: what are Google's plans for Gtalk?
What do you think?
Photo: Noticia al dia .