Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NOK): Lumia Could Get Instagram After All?

In recent days, Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) have essentially received double-whammies  in regards to shoring up the Windows Phones Store with popular apps, as Instagram and Netflix Inc. have both indicated that they were not prepared to invest in a Windows app until Windows Phone and by extension Lumia get a foothold in the world marketplace.

As a result of the rebuff, Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) launched its own app called “#2InstaWithLove” as a campaign through Lumia and Windows Phone users to reach out to Instagram and convince the Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) property to develop  a Windows app to go along with the iOS and Android versions.  This Nokia “mock” app has only one filter, while Instagram has 19, but each photo that is shared with friends on a social network is attached with the “#2InstaWithLove” hashtag in the hopes that enough users flooding Instagram with these pictures would convince the company that there is a market for the app on the phone.

With that backdrop, there is now a rumor floating around that Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) just might get its wish. A Chinese web site is reporting based on sources it claims are in the know, Instagram seems to be about to test an app that would be Windows application but would be available only to Lumia handset owners. As a little extra gift for being late to the platform, this Windows app is reportedly offering a filter that is not on the established iOS or Android versions. There is no indication whether this is just an initial run of the Windows app that will ultimately be available on all Windows Phone devices, but if this rumor turns out to be true, it would be a big ste in establishing Windows Phone and Nokia Lumia as legitimate players in the smartphone space that app developers like Instagram would be willing to invest time and money in such an app.

What are your thoughts about this rumor? Do Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) and Microsoft Corporation actually need certain apps to justify their legitimacy in the space? Could this development, if true, be enough to gain support for the Windows Phone platform? We’d like your thoughts in the comments section below.

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