Color Labs
{{Infobox company
| name = Color Labs
| logo =
| type = Private
| location_city = Palo Alto, California
| location_country =
| key_people = Bill Nguyen
Geoff Ralston
Douglas Leone
| website = color.com (Taken over)
}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Color
| logo =
| screenshot =
| caption = Viewing a posted photo in Color
| collapsible =
| developer = Color Labs, Inc.
| released = {{Start date and age|2011|03|24}}
| discontinued = yes
| programming language =
| operating system = iOS 4.2 or later
| platform =
| size = 7.7 MB
| language = English
| genre = Social networking software
| license = Freeware
| website = {{url|color.com}} (Taken over)
}}
Color Labs, Inc. was a start-up based in Palo Alto, California, US. Its main product was the eponymous mobile app for sharing photos through social networking. It allowed people to take photos in addition to viewing other photos also taken in the vicinity. The application grouped photos based on a user's friends so that he or she is more likely to see more relevant ones.
Following skepticism and rumors from Silicon Valley commentators,{{Cite news |title= What's Really Going on With Color: A Small Apple Talent Acquisition |date= October 18, 2012 |first1= Liz |last1= Gannes |first2= John |last2= Paczkowski |work= All Things D |url= http://allthingsd.com/20121018/whats-really-going-on-with-color-a-small-apple-talent-acquisition/ |accessdate= June 14, 2013 }}{{Cite news |title= Sources: Apple Paid $7 Million For Color Labs |work= Tech Crunch |first=Coleen |last= Taylor |date= November 9, 2012 |url= https://techcrunch.com/2012/11/19/sources-apple-paid-7-million-for-color-labs/ }} Color Labs stopped selling the app at the end of 2012.{{Cite news |title= Color, The $41 Million App, Really Is Shutting Down Now |first= Owen |last= Thomas |date= November 20, 2012 |url= http://www.businessinsider.com/color-shutdown-2012-11 |accessdate= June 14, 2013 }}
Launch
The group started when co-founders Bill Nguyen and Peter Pham received $41 million in funding. Color was named as a tribute to Apple's color logo from the Apple II. Nguyen described the Apple II as having changed his life when he was seven.{{cite web|last=Nguyen |first=Bill| title= Why is Color named "Color"? | url=http://www.quora.com/Color-Labs-startup/Why-is-Color-named-Color| publisher=Quora| accessdate=December 14, 2011|date=March 25, 2011}}{{Unreliable source?|date=January 2023}} The domain name Color.com was bought in December 2010 for $350,000.{{cite web|last=Alleman |first=Andrew| title= Sequoia and Bain Capital-Backed Startup Was $350,000 Color.com Buyer | url=http://domainnamewire.com/2011/03/24/sequoia-and-bain-capital-backed-startup-was-350000-color-com-buyer/| publisher=DomainNameWire| accessdate=December 15, 2011|date=March 24, 2011}}
In 2010–2011, Color closed $25 million in funding from Sequoia Capital, $9 million from Bain Capital, and $7 million in venture debt from Silicon Valley Bank.{{cite web| last=McMahan| first=TY|title=Sequoia To Color Labs: Not Since Google Have We Seen This. |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2011/03/24/sequoia-to-color-labs-not-since-google-have-we-seen-this/ |publisher= WSJ|accessdate=December 10, 2011| date=March 24, 2011}} In September 2011, Douglas Leone revealed that Sequoia Capital only invested three days before the scheduled launch of Color.{{cite web| last=Rao| first=Leena|title=Sequoia's Doug Leone: We Are 'Thrilled' To Be Investors In Color, 'Stay Tuned' For The Pivot.|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/18/sequoias-doug-leone-we-are-thrilled-to-be-investors-in-color-stay-tuned-for-the-pivot/ |publisher= TechCrunch|accessdate=December 10, 2011| date=September 18, 2011}}
On March 24, 2011, Color launched its eponymous mobile app in iOS App Store.{{cite web| last=O'Grady| first=Jason|title=Color: New social photo app arrives for iOS.| website=ZDNet|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/color-new-social-photo-app-arrives-for-ios/9838|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403004531/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/color-new-social-photo-app-arrives-for-ios/9838|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 3, 2011|accessdate=December 11, 2011| date=March 24, 2011}} A week after the launch, Color Labs released an update with significant changes to the iOS App interface—allowing users to see photos from events "Nearby", a "Feed" of relevant photos, and a "History" of groups that users can participate in. Words underneath each icon explaining what they did were also added.
In July 2011, it was reported that Google offered to buy Color for $200 million before their first launch, but Color Labs turned down the deal.{{cite web| last=Arrington| first=Michael|title=Google Tried To Buy Color For $200 Million. Color Said No.|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/07/21/google-tried-to-buy-color-for-200-million-color-said-no/ |publisher= TechCrunch|accessdate=December 11, 2011| date=July 21, 2011}}
Controversy and demise
When it launched, the application had around 1 million downloads. By September 2011, the service had a little under 100,000 active users.{{cite web| last=Ha| first=Anthony|title=Can Color beat the backlash with an improved interface?
|url=https://venturebeat.com/2011/04/01/color-iphone-update/ |publisher=Venture Beat|accessdate=December 9, 2011| date=April 1, 2011}}{{Not in citation|date=December 2017}} In June 2011, less than three months after the company officially launched, Pham left Color,{{cite web| last=Arrington| first=Michael|title=Troubled Startup Color Loses Cofounder Peter Pham.|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/14/troubled-startup-color-loses-cofounder-peter-pham/ |publisher= TechCrunch|accessdate=December 10, 2011| date=June 14, 2011}} followed quickly by Chief Product Officer DJ Patil.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/07/11/color-labs-chief-product-officer-dj-patil-resigns/|title=Color Labs Chief Product Officer DJ Patil Resigns|date=11 July 2011 }}
In the weeks following Color's initial launch, controversy surrounded the startup's $41 million funding and mixed reviews on the product. The initial launch confused users with the application's interface and purpose. Its initial rating in the App Store was 2 out of 5 stars. In an interview with Robert Scoble in April 2011, Pham and Nguyen admitted that Color's launch was a wasted opportunity, sharing: "We threw out a network you don’t know how to get good at…We threw a mountain at people."{{cite web| last=Scoble| first=Robert|title=The funding and failures of Color, Silicon Valley's $41 million startup (wrapup of the week of hype and hate).|url=http://scobleizer.com/2011/04/01/the-funding-and-failures-of-color-silicon-valleys-41-million-startup-wrapup-of-the-week-of-hype-and-hate/|publisher= Scobleizer|accessdate=December 9, 2011| date=April 1, 2011}}
In October 2012, media reports indicated that Color's board of directors had voted to shut down the company.{{cite web| last=Bilton| first=Ricardo|title=Color goes dark: Board votes to shut down company, source says|url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/10/17/more-trouble-for-color-shareholders-and-board-vote-to-wind-down-company/ | publisher=Venture Beat|accessdate=October 18, 2012| date= October 17, 2012}} Other sources denied that the company was shutting down but suggested that it was possibly preparing to be acquired by another company or for another major transformative event.{{cite web| last=Bilton| first=Ricardo|title=Even Color doesn't know what's happening at Color|url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/10/17/color-internal-chaos/| publisher=Venture Beat|accessdate=October 18, 2012| date= October 17, 2012}} Reports included that the staff would be sold to Apple for $2 to $7 million. In November, Color Labs announced that the app would be shut down at the end of 2012.
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221195737/http://www.color.com/|date=21 December 2012|title=Archived version of the official website}}
Category:Image-sharing websites
Category:Defunct social networking services
Category:Android (operating system) software
Category:Apple Inc. acquisitions
Category:American photography websites