Apple's official Instagram account is all about photos Shot on iPhone

Apple just joined the 21st Century by launching an official Instagram account. You can scope and follow @apple right now, if you're so inclined.

Apple's Insta appears to be solely focused, at least for the time being, on highlighting "Shot on iPhone" photos and videos, images that are part of a campaign Apple launched to show off the snapping prowess of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Previously relegated mostly to billboards, Shot on iPhone has moved to a higher-tech and much cooler platform.

#ShotoniPhone by… - 1. Fabien B. @fabienbaron “These photographs are my personal mood board. This is what I see and like.” - 2. Jess R. @jessronagrooming “If I could choose only one type of dog to groom for the rest of my life what would it be? Oh my gosh. A poodle!” - 3. Josh N. @bellpayphoneproject “This is street furniture that’s been around for almost a century and it will be gone soon. Gone forever… and I’ll be telling my grandkids about this nerdy project where I took pictures of phones with a telephone.” - 4. Brock D. @brockdavis “I’ve created so many things just to make my kids laugh at breakfast time.” - 5. Olivier C. @oli_op “I am drawn to things that look mundane at first, but then become magical because you’ve changed one factor - the speed at which you see it."
A photo posted by @apple on Aug 7, 2017 at 5:20am PDT

The account currently features nine gallery posts, all having gone up earlier today, each with clips of photos and videos taken by different users.

Almost every set is accompanied by words spoken by the photographer, and the voice-overs explain things like their motivation to capture certain images or their feelings on photography in general. It's an eclectic and creative mix, and Apple is inching close to 100,000 followers at the time of writing.

#ShotoniPhone by… - 1. Dawn D. @dawn_denfeld “When I was diagnosed with degenerative spinal arthritis, I needed to find a hobby that didn't require a lot of walking. Now, I love to capture water drop refractions and reflections on flowers, dandelions, and cobwebs that I gather from my garden.” - 2. Chinami M. @1000wave “My grandmother is constantly laughing whenever we shoot photos and I always enjoy seeing her smile. I’m just a greedy grandchild, hoping to squeeze as many smiles as I can.” - 3. Kevin R. @kevinruss “The sounds at this chapel were unlike any sounds I was hearing anywhere else. So I added sound to the photo just to have people feel what I felt.” - 4. John D. @abstractconformity "As captain of a ship, I go around the world. At times, we’ve gotten voyage instructions from the office and literally had to go get an atlas off the shelf cause we’re like, ‘Where in the world is this?’”
A photo posted by @apple on Aug 7, 2017 at 5:13am PDT

iTunes and Apple Music had their own official Instagrams before today, but this marks the first time Apple proper has joined the service. Rivals like Google, Microsoft and Samsung beat Apple to Insta, too.

It's a smart move by Apple to launch an account on the world's biggest photo sharing platform for several reasons (here's one: Millennials), but this could also be setting some crucial groundwork for the iPhone 8 launch next month.

With the camera a perpetually important piece of the new iPhone puzzle, being able to show off shots taken with its snapper and highlight the 10th anniversary iPhone on Instagram is yet one more (and totally hip) way for Apple to connect with shoppers.

Anyone can "submit" photos to be featured on Apple's Instagram by tagging their posts #ShotoniPhone. Who knows, you could be next!

Also new this year: the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook. A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.