Are Instagram and Facebook Apps Game Changers for Windows Phone

Instagram has announced that it soon will be launching the official Instagram app for the Windows 8 phone. Another mobile heavyweight, Facebook, also has already launched its app for Windows 8 in October. Vine and Flipboard have also indicated apps will be available in the near future.

These apps will fill gaping holes in the Windows 8 app ecosystem, and perhaps more importantly, will help solidify Microsoft’s mobile offerings as a viable alternative to iOS and Android.

It has recently been reported that in situations where popular apps are not available, Microsoft has started publishing web apps that repackage websites of popular apps including TMZ, Cars.com, Orbitz, and many others. The apps are not officially affiliated with the website providers. Can these offering push these and other companies to climb on board with official Windows 8 apps?

So kudos for Microsoft for not sitting on its hands and instead pushing companies to publish apps on its ecosystem. Its reminds us of when Fox debuted its network in 1986. The pundits said that the new network would never make it, yet by 2007 was it the most watched broadcast network. Blackberry has given up, but Microsoft is still in the fight and is in it for the long term.