Instagram, the photo-sharing/editing app, which recently received some animosity from iOS users when they launched the Android version of the app, is getting more popular as it boast of five million downloads in just six days after the Android launch.  That’s about 2,000 fandroids signing up every minute.

Fanboys’ smack-talking hasn’t turned fandroids off from Instagram as Android users from all over the globe invaded their sacred ground.  Within 12 hours of Instagram’s launch for Android, the app was already downloaded 1 million times.  And in just six days, the Android version has been downloaded 5 million times.  It took iOS users six months to get to that number.  Fandroid retaliation maybe?

But yesterday’s announcement that Facebook was acquiring Instagram for a jaw-dropping $1 billion did not make some Instagram patrons happy, stating that the social networking giant is just going to ruin the app.  Android users cried foul when iOS users were trash-talking them for using their beloved Instagram.  The funny thing is, some Android users are now threatening to leave Instagram because of the Facebook acquisition. What it is about Instagram that garners such elitism?

Enough about that, let’s look at Instagram’s $1 billion price tag, is it really worth it?

Instagram’s $1 billion price tag

Just last week we reported that Instagram was near closing a $50 million round of funding led by Sequoia Capital, but with the Facebook announcement, who needs $50 million when you’ve got a billion dollar exit?

But seriously, buying a company with zero revenue for $1 billion raises the question, “What was Facebook thinking?  What are they going to do with Instagram?”

If you ask Instagram users, Facebook will just butcher their beloved app.  Click here and here to read some of reactions of Instagram users. But if you ask Reggie Bradford, CEO and founder of Vitrue, it was a justifiable acquisition.

“This is a great move for Facebook,” said Bradford.  “The company has placed increased emphasis on mobile offering and Instagram plays nicely across all screens. During fMC, Facebook stressed the importance of quality content. Their algorithm favors quality, engaging content so it’s not a surprise that Facebook was interested in acquiring a company that is all about engaging content.”

Virtue is  the maker of enterprise software for social media campaigns, which recently launched the Instagram Tab Module that allows marketers to seamlessly integrate images into Instagram Facebook pages.

As for the purpose of the acquisition, Bradford believes that Instagram would be well incorporated into Facebook’s Timeline, becoming a powerful tool for marketers to showcase their products, further engaging users.

End of the Instagram world

Still, some people see the acquisition as the end of the world, and in a state of panic, people are now downloading their Instagram photos in a hurry.

If you’re one of those people who wants to quit Instagram because it has been invaded by your so-called Facebook losers, here are some things that will help you quickly get Instagram out of your system:

• Instaport: which lets you export and download your Instagram photos;
• Copygram: is the computer version of Instagram that allows you backup all your Instagram photos on your computer;
• Instagrid: it’s the web interface for Instagram but it doesn’t allow you to download your photos but it allows you to access your favorite users’ photos without the Instagram app;
• InstaDesk: This is for Macs, it allows you to download all your Instagram content for $4.99;
• SocialFolders: It prides itself as the “Dropbox for Social Media” as it allows you to backup all your social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter, SmugMug, Facebook, Flickr, Picassa, Google Docs and YouTube profiles.

So before deleting your Instagram account, be sure to backup all your photos.  You don’t want to lose all your artistic photos, right?