Hyperlapse Coldly Reminds Us Where Instagram Fails
Like many of you, Instagram's Hyperlapse app intrigued me. A fancy time-lapse video app could be a really cool thing, even if it did link directly into Instagram with little hope of existing outside of the Facebook empire. Still, Hyperlapse reminds us where Instagram falls short, not where it succeeds.
Again, like many of you, I downloaded Hyperlapse; I toyed with it, then closed the app and logged it into the back of my mind for a day when it might be useful. Later on in the day, I picked up my iPad mini — a device I go to often — to view a video. I was a bit surprised to se Hyperlapse on my iPad — it downloaded there automatically when i loaded the iPhone version, a possibly pleasant surprise.
I tried Hyperlapse out on the iPad, and found the experience to be similar to the iPhone. Simple, fun, effective, and something I may use someday. Well, I'd use it on the iPhone, at least. Tablet photography isn't something anyone should really be doing, but they do — and Hyperlapse is there — so away we go.
Part of the reason I don't use Instagram much is the lack of official support for the iPad. There are plenty of good third-party apps, but nothing official. The iPhone app can be downloaded on your iPad, but that's just — no. Hyperlapse looks, acts, and feels like an iPad app — so where is Instagram for the iPad?
If you want to upload your Hyperlapse videos to Instagram from the iPad, Hyperlapse directs you to download the iPhone version of Instagram. Not only is tablet photography and video just a bad idea, having an iPhone app on the iPad adds insult to the experience.
Instagram sees fit to make a pretty good app available for a pretty limited camera, but as for actually viewing those Hyperlapse videos on your iPad? They're not interested in helping you out, there.
It's a strange disconnect, making a time-lapse video app available for a platform Instagram doesn't support. I'm not sure why Instagram saw fit to do that. In Facebook's ever-increasing app empire, an Instagram iPad app seems the most glaring omission they've overlooked yet again.