Meekrat vs. Periscope
by WILLIAM WONG
Starting a new trend of live streaming via mobile phones, Meerkat and Periscope allow iOS users to view new experiences anywhere around the globe and at any time of day.
Developed by Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein, Periscope made its debut in the Apple App Store March 26, eventually gaining enough popularity to be purchased by Twitter, billion-dollar social networking site. Similar to Periscope, Meerkat was also released around late March in the App Store by developer Ben Rubin, sparking a new rivalry between the two apps.
Both apps operate in a similar fashion. Users stream live footage from their mobile phones and can select either public or private stream. Viewers of the stream can “heart” the footage, which is similar to liking a Facebook status update. Both apps allow users to view both live and past recordings.
“ I think the idea of live streaming apps is very appealing to a wide audience,” said junior Michelle Marenco. “Many people I know primarily view Vlogs of popular Youtube personalities, so I can see how their live recordings could excite many.”
At the moment, what differentiates the two apps are mainly popularity. Though Meerkat was launched before Periscope, Twitter’s tremendous popularity and acquisition of Periscope allowed the app to skyrocket into rankings on the App Store. While Meerkat lacks in popularity compared to its counterpart, it is currently trying to expand to the Android fanbase.
“While I like the concept of live streaming, I don’t like that there are two apps that basically do the same thing,” said freshman Benjamin Manuel. “There does not have to be more fan wars like Android versus iPhone.”
Both apps are currently only available for download on Apple iOS devices and are free on the App Store.