Apple is long known to be the company that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics as well as computer software. But that isn't stopping Apple for trying new things. On March 21st, 2017, the tech giant its first ever video-sharing app it calls 'Clips'.
While Apple continues to make some of the most popular gadgets in consumer technology, the company has struggled when it comes to social aspects.
It tried several times but failed. It's iMessage is like a social network of its own, but it's somehow limited to only Apple users. This made it's appeal to break when competing with other similar apps like WhatsApp. Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook Messenger.
Competitors are making and getting huge amount of attention, and this is why Clips is made.
To create Clips, Apple borrows some features found on Snapchat, Instagram, Vine and others. The result is a video-making app that is separate from Apple's core apps found on iPhones or iPads.
Clips is essentially the company's attempt to enter social video-sharing industry, but not through its own social network. It's allowing users to take and share photos, and edit them with an array of transformations, overlays and also filters.
It also comes with video editing features, including the one that allows users to join several video clips into one video. Clips lets users to take or upload video clips to up to 30 minutes long, and the final video's run time can go to up to 60 minutes long.
Clips also allows users to share their content to other apps. Clips uses facial recognition technology that allows it to recognize people in videos. Using Smart Suggestions powered by the same algorithms found in Apple's Photos, if users created a video featuring people they've got in iMessage contact, for example, Clips can suggest users to share the clip with them.
Apple has been developing this kind of app since summer 2016. The company was looking for ways to leverage Apple's brand value while at the same time, developing new technologies to enhance its camera and sensors.
So Clips isn't at all a social network by itself. It's like Apple's strategy to remain part of the conversation - something that Apple has neglected, and a field that has been occupied by many others raking millions of dollars. It's also Apple's way to have more control on the workflow when users are using its products.
Clips has a simple interface, a simple photo- and video- capture feature.
When opening the app, users will see a capture screen similar to Instagram's. There are options shown below users can choose: Photo, Video and Library. At the top, there are four options for styling and customizing: Live Titles, Filters, Overlays, and Posters. And at the very bottom of the screen there's a simple timeline that is designed to encourage users to string together a sequence of clips.
It's certainly interesting for Apple to venture to the social industry, especially because Apple didn't bake the functionality into an existing platform like Photos, Messages or even offering it up as an entry-level setting on iMovie. To Apple users, this is certainly a welcome move. However, Clips that lacks the social elements found on most others in the competition, can give Apple a hard time in competing. Not to mention that all of them are already having a massive user base.