Summary
- Geopolitical tensions continue to rise between America and China.
- Within this context, TikTok and CapCut’s parent company, ByteDance, has found itself in the midst of a possible US ban.
- Instagram parent company Meta is seizing on the opportunity by announcing its own mobile video editor to compete with CapCut, which it calls Edits.
ByteDance, the Chinese-based parent company of social networking site TikTok and video editor CapCut, has been the subject of much controversy in recent times. A months-long geopolitical squabble between America and China culminated in a brief shut down of the short form video app, a decision which was reversed mere hours later.
TikTok remains available for download in the US (for the time being), but the same can’t be said for CapCut, the platform’s corresponding mobile video editor. It’s unclear whether ByteDance’s published apps and services will remain up and running in the American market long-term, but it’s clear that US-based social media giant Meta smells blood in the air.
Instagram lead Adam Mosseri recently took to the Meta-owned platform to announce Edits, the company’s direct response to ByteDance’s CapCut video editing software.
“Today we’re announcing a new app called “Edits” for those of you who are passionate about making videos on your phone. There’s a lot going on right now, but no matter what happens, it’s our job to provide the best possible tools for creators,” says Mosseri in his Instagram post.
Though details are still somewhat sparse, it appears that Meta’s Edits app will be deeply intertwined with the broader Instagram service. Much like how CapCut is designed to be the go-to editor for TikTok content creators, it appears that Edits will be optimized for lovers of Instagram and its short-form Reels content.
Edits, an Instagram app
A mobile-first video editing application from the makers of Instagram, with deep integration with the social networking platform.
Edits is expected to arrive on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store sometime next month
Meta
An exact release date for Edits has yet to be announced, though the app is already available for pre-order on the Apple App Store. According to Mosseri, the mobile editor will also be made available on the Android platform ‘soon’, with a loose February release date being targeted. Edits is expected to be a free-to-download piece of software, which aligns the company’s distribution strategy with that of competitor CapCut.
Instagram, and indeed parent-company Meta, is no stranger to pooching ideas from competing platforms. Infamously, a failed attempt at purchasing Snapchat led to the eventual release of ‘Stories’ on Instagram, Facebook, and even WhatsApp. Similarly, the ‘Reels’ function within Meta services represents a sort of TikTokification of the platforms, and the company’s microblogging Threads site takes heavy inspiration from X (formerly Twitter).
With its eyes now set on CapCut and the untapped potential of mobile video editing software, Meta appears to be in an advantageous position. The intense scrutiny and media chatter surrounding ByteDance is all but guaranteed to be a net positive for the American-based Instagram brand, and the company knows it.
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