Social networking company Facebook has acquired the messaging service WhatsApp, for a mammoth $19 billion, the highest acquisition cost in social media history. This is a mythical amount, but is it enough for Facebook to win the "battle" of mobile messaging? (It should be noted that as it became known, a short time ago, another messaging company, Snapchat, had said "no" to Facebook's offer). And what is it that according to experts, the company is not telling us?
As is broadcast on CNBC, the service WhatsApp has serious competitors before it, and it can not be ruled out that it needs to make some changes, according to analysts.
“There is a lot of competition in the space, not just in the US, but around the world. This is a constant threat," comments Brian Blau, an analyst at Gartner. From the service AIM of AOL until Skype or Whatsapp and Gtalk of Google, these benefits are not new to technology.
Competition is tough. OR WhatsApp μπορεί να υπερηφανεύεται για τους 450 εκατομμύρια μηνιαίους χρήστες που διαθέτει - εκ των οποίων το 70% είναι καθημερινά ενεργοί - αλλά υπάρχουν μεγάλοι «παίκτες» στον χώρο, με χαρακτηριστικό το παράδειγμα του Viber. "Everyone is trying in this area," says Julie Ask, analyst at Forrester.
And while it WhatsApp it may be his chance Facebook to be established for good in this area, changes to the platform are not excluded at all, which casts doubt on the future of the service as, as warned by experts, it could expel some of the users.
"Everyone insists on repeating what Zuckerberg said when he announced the takeover, but there is a lot he did not say," Ask says.
Something important that the Facebook owner did not mention, Mark Zuckerberg, is that the redemption of the service gives Facebook access to its users' data WhatsApp, which raises concerns about its security protectionof personal data, according to analysts.
Indeed, as they point out, even if user data is actually secured and if Facebook does not operate access to them, the company however will find the way in order to make profits.
"It would be crazy, someone with 450 million users, not to collect data and generate ideas from it," Ask commented.
And Wickr CEO, Nico Sells, warned of the danger that could remove the users, given the fact that its protection policy already WhatsApp is not considered to be highly adequate.
In addition to collecting user data, the Facebook could then press on WhatsAppin order to host ads, which would also bother users.
However, according to Zuckerberg, Facebook does not intend to make money in this way, but WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum assured users that their communication will not be "interrupted" by ads.
However, according to Blau, Jan Koum is unlikely to keep his promise (long), and according to Ask, what happened to Instagram could happen.
