Skip to main content

Twitter sign-up spikes with iOS 5, valuation hits $8 billion

dick-costolo-TwitterWith its deep integration into iOS 5, Twitter has seen its daily-tweet rate and sign-up rate skyrocket since Apple’s newest mobile operating system launched last Wednesday, according to Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo, who spoke to a crowd yesterday at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.

“The iOS integration is going to be absolutely huge for us, even better than we thought it was,” said Costolo.

“I didn’t realize how frictionless this would be,” he said. “It’s so native.”

Twitter’s CEO said that the reason Apple and Twitter work together so well is that they both offer “simplicity in a world of complexity.”

As of last September, Twitter users were posting about 90 million tweets per day. That number has jumped 177 percent, to 250 million tweets daily.

In January of this year, Twitter had amassed 100 million users, 30 percent of whom were active, which means that number of users logs into the service, but doesn’t necessarily tweet anything.

Costolo said that, with the jump in active users, even more people will be able to find something that interests them through Twitter, and that sifting out the noise is one of the company’s biggest challenges.

“We’ve got to figure out how to capture the volume at the same time as separating the signal from the noise,” he said.

As the number of Twitter users rises, Costolo says that he believes it’s possible for the service to reach every person on the planet – but it’s not going to happen by adding a slew of fancy new features.

“We think that we can be on 2 billion devices around the world, and reach every person on the planet, and the way to do that is through simplifying.”

In addition to the reported traffic increase, Costolo also revealed that the company’s estimated worth is now up to about $8 billion, following the most recent round of funding.

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Here’s how iOS 18 will make iMessage better than ever
Close-up photo of the Messages app on an iPhone.

We can't wait for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024) keynote on Monday, June 10. During that event, Apple will undoubtedly introduce iOS 18 for iPhones, including the iPhone 15 Pro. The rumor mill has long suggested that iOS 18 may be a giant iPhone update.

Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has given us a peek at what changes could be coming to iMessage in the upcoming software update.

Read more
Here’s how iOS 18 is going to overhaul your iPhone’s email app
An iPhone showing the home screen in someone's hand.

We're just days away from Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024), which means we're about to get our first look at iOS 18. The new iPhone operating system is expected to get RCS texting in the iMessage app, more customization options for the home screen, and maybe a significant design change overall. Now comes word that changes will be made to the native Mail app.

According to AppleInsider, the Mail app is about to undergo a significant transformation. It's getting a powerful new search tool, Smart Replies, automatic sorting for different email types, and more. But the real excitement lies in the app's expected integration of AI functionality, a feature becoming a hallmark of iOS 18.

Read more
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more