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CNET today received a mysterious invite — sent via FedEx, not e-mail — from Instagram for an event it’s hosting next week.
The package, wrapped with brown paper and a white ribbon, contained a wooden block, 4 inches long and wide and 1.75 inches thick, covered with a printed Instagram shot and a slot in the back so it can be hung on the wall. The included note invited the press to “share a moment with Kevin Systrom and the Instagram team.” The event will kick off at 10 a.m. on December 12 in Midtown Manhattan.
A spokeswoman declined to provide further details about the event, but recent press reports have suggested that the photo-sharing social network is gearing up to introduce a private messaging service.
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However, the format of the invite itself seems to suggest a different kind of announcement, such as a service that would allow users to print their photos.
What do you think the event is? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
In the three years since it launched, Instagram has grown tremendously. The social network says it now has 150 million active users worldwide. Last month, the service — which sold to Facebook for $1 billion last year — announced that it was starting to run advertisements in an effort to monetize its business.
Media reports in November said Instagram plans to launch private messaging features within its photo and video app, and it also has been experimenting with group messaging. Such features could appear in the next update of Instagram, expected before the end of the year. The event in New York would coincide nicely with such a launch.
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