4 ms·

Etsy acquires Mixel

44 points by twog 14y ago

richardofyork 14y ago
I always thought Mixel was an interesting, useful app and, in some ways, more useful than Instagram. The big question is how much they were acquired for.
erickhill 14y ago
Acqui-hiring Khoi Vinh is the big news here (no offense to his colleagues). He's a huge personality in the design world. "Fast Company named Vinh one of "The 50 Most Influential Designers in America" in September 2011." Congrats to the Mixel team AND Etsy.
- danso 14y ago
  Yes, judging by iOS review count, Mixel as an app doesn't yet seem to have reached a high penetration (however, it is also not a free app): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mixel-collage-photo-sharing/id549650476?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mixel-collage-photo-sharing/... About 300+ lifetime reviews vs 10,000+ for Hipstamatic.
  - ryanglasgow 14y ago
    Hipstamatic has been around for a long time, even before Instagram, so I don't think this is a fair comparison.
    - danso 14y ago
      I'm just using it as a back of the envelope measurement between two paid-for photo enhancement apps. Is there any app considered widely successful that has a relatively low number of reviews? I would also point out, anecdotally, that I haven't heard of anyone in my social circle using Mixel...not friends, but the people I follow online, on both the tech and photography world. This is not to say that Mixel was a bad app, just that it doesn't seem popular enough to buy for the tech or user base alone.
rolleiflex 14y ago
I remember having Khoi making a presentation back in our school loft a year ago: smart, passionate guy. Had high hopes for the app too mostly because of his enthusiasm, though ultimately unfulfilled because as app required Facebook account to participate, and the singular reason given was that I had to use my real name. The assumption that I have to give in my real name to be able to make some collages with an app is/was borderline arrogant, and while everyone can make mistakes it leaves a long lasting sour taste against persons involved.
- nateberkopec 14y ago
  Real names are really required if you're ever going to sell advertising at scale. Real people are much more valuable than fake ones/pseudonyms. Look at Google+/Facebook policies. Mixel was making a good business decision.
  - vasco 14y ago
    Is there proof that services where real names are used have users with better conversion rates for advertisers? I usually have the same amount of disposable cash when I'm on Facebook and when I'm on HN.
Timothee 14y ago
I installed Mixel for its collage capabilities but I was turned off by its social network aspect. Sadly, I've noticed that it's the case for a lot of apps in this space (e.g. Instagram of course, Cinemagram, Viddy, SocialCam, etc.): instead of providing a simple function, they provide it wrapped into a dedicated social network. I see why they do it: some people want a fully integrated experience and it's likely to make the company more valuable if it becomes successful. However I personally like the Camera+ model much more: an app that stands on its own, but that provides an API for other app to use (http://api.camerapl.us/app-api http://api.camerapl.us/app-api). That being said, congratulations to the team there! My personal preferences shall not hinder their success :)
justjimmy 14y ago
Hey…it's Khoi Vinh! I remember hearing him speak at Design Thinkers in Toronto when I was still in school. He was speaking as one of the panels about what students should expect after graduation, in terms of work places. Every other person on the panel was going on about similar points - one of them was prepare to work very hard (give your life . Almost everyone on the panel was from an agency) - Khoi immediately spoke up and said he disagreed, saying that a balance/social life is still needed and important. And that he would never expect or ask his interns and new grads hires to work themselves to extreme (which seems to be the norm/expected in the GD field). Some discussions ensued. It was very refreshing.

44 points by twog 14y ago

I always thought Mixel was an interesting, useful app and, in some ways, more useful than Instagram. The big question is how much they were acquired for.

erickhill 14y ago

Acqui-hiring Khoi Vinh is the big news here (no offense to his colleagues). He's a huge personality in the design world. "Fast Company named Vinh one of "The 50 Most Influential Designers in America" in September 2011." Congrats to the Mixel team AND Etsy.

danso 14y ago
Yes, judging by iOS review count, Mixel as an app doesn't yet seem to have reached a high penetration (however, it is also not a free app): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mixel-collage-photo-sharing/id549650476?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mixel-collage-photo-sharing/... About 300+ lifetime reviews vs 10,000+ for Hipstamatic.
- ryanglasgow 14y ago
  Hipstamatic has been around for a long time, even before Instagram, so I don't think this is a fair comparison.
  - danso 14y ago
    I'm just using it as a back of the envelope measurement between two paid-for photo enhancement apps. Is there any app considered widely successful that has a relatively low number of reviews? I would also point out, anecdotally, that I haven't heard of anyone in my social circle using Mixel...not friends, but the people I follow online, on both the tech and photography world. This is not to say that Mixel was a bad app, just that it doesn't seem popular enough to buy for the tech or user base alone.

rolleiflex 14y ago

I remember having Khoi making a presentation back in our school loft a year ago: smart, passionate guy. Had high hopes for the app too mostly because of his enthusiasm, though ultimately unfulfilled because as app required Facebook account to participate, and the singular reason given was that I had to use my real name. The assumption that I have to give in my real name to be able to make some collages with an app is/was borderline arrogant, and while everyone can make mistakes it leaves a long lasting sour taste against persons involved.

nateberkopec 14y ago
Real names are really required if you're ever going to sell advertising at scale. Real people are much more valuable than fake ones/pseudonyms. Look at Google+/Facebook policies. Mixel was making a good business decision.
- vasco 14y ago
  Is there proof that services where real names are used have users with better conversion rates for advertisers? I usually have the same amount of disposable cash when I'm on Facebook and when I'm on HN.

Timothee 14y ago

I installed Mixel for its collage capabilities but I was turned off by its social network aspect. Sadly, I've noticed that it's the case for a lot of apps in this space (e.g. Instagram of course, Cinemagram, Viddy, SocialCam, etc.): instead of providing a simple function, they provide it wrapped into a dedicated social network. I see why they do it: some people want a fully integrated experience and it's likely to make the company more valuable if it becomes successful. However I personally like the Camera+ model much more: an app that stands on its own, but that provides an API for other app to use (http://api.camerapl.us/app-api http://api.camerapl.us/app-api). That being said, congratulations to the team there! My personal preferences shall not hinder their success :)

justjimmy 14y ago

Hey…it's Khoi Vinh! I remember hearing him speak at Design Thinkers in Toronto when I was still in school. He was speaking as one of the panels about what students should expect after graduation, in terms of work places. Every other person on the panel was going on about similar points - one of them was prepare to work very hard (give your life . Almost everyone on the panel was from an agency) - Khoi immediately spoke up and said he disagreed, saying that a balance/social life is still needed and important. And that he would never expect or ask his interns and new grads hires to work themselves to extreme (which seems to be the norm/expected in the GD field). Some discussions ensued. It was very refreshing.