Nostalgia sells. It is a proven fact. You just have to see how Hollywood squeezes sagas and titles from a few decades ago and turns them into sequels and remakes. Or how well the t-shirts, dolls , posters, posters and other promotional material of movies or video games of the past sell. The same goes for technology. The analog camera has given way to the digital camera and smartphones. And the reel is history. Or not. Because David Dobrik and his Dispo app have returned it to your iPhone.
If you enjoyed the disposable reel cameras , those disposable devices with which you could take a few photographs and develop them in a few hours, with your iPhone you can remember those times in the form of a mobile application .
The idea of Dispo is, as it says on its official website, to live in the moment. Go back to a past technology to assess the current moment in which we live. Slow down a bit the current pace in which we take dozens of photos in a few moments and then forget them. With this app you must choose well which photo you take .
An iPhone with film to live the moment
The concept of Dispo is simple. Take pictures with your iPhone as if it were an analog camera that we used in the last century. Cameras that used a reel with photographic film . You had a limited number of shots to take. When the reel ran out, you had to reveal it. Usually in a professional development shop.
The same thing happens with this iPhone application. You take a certain number of pictures and then you have to wait to see them. The development has resulted in having to wait until the next morning to see your photos. Specifically, you will receive a notice at 9 in the morning so that you can see the photos taken the day before.
The reel idea goes beyond the technical limitation . Your photos will appear organized by reels. That is, instead of folders or albums , you will have reels to which you can assign a name and a color. And from there we return to the present, since you can share your reels or keep them private.
At the moment Dispo is exclusive for iPhone. For the rest, it is free and has no additional purchases or advertising, something to be appreciated in this type of applications or experiments.
Dispo and its nostalgic community
Another idea that arises from this application is to create a community of users that “promotes what is good in the world”, as they say in their statutes or guidelines. The film and the analog camera is just an excuse.
Committed to privacy, the list of purposes of this community is commendable, a wish list that we would already like to see fulfilled on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok . Several examples: be nice, be yourself, respect privacy, promote the truth, follow the law …
This does not mean that when you open Dispo for the first time it asks for your phone number as a registration. That or sign up with your Snap account or your Apple ID. From your phone you will receive a verification code. The same thing happens with apps like Telegram or WhatsApp .
As for the concept of community, as we said, you can keep your photos private or make them public. In addition, you have the possibility to create a list of friends . Well synchronizing your contact list with the application, something practically mandatory if you want to unlock all the functions. You can also choose to search for them on other social networks, such as Snapchat or Instagram . You will find this option in the Reel tab or from your Profile .
Who is behind Dispo?
First of all, the name of Dispo comes from Disposable Camera, in English disposable camera. And behind this curious mobile application is David Dobrik. His name may not tell you anything, but he made his fortune posting videos on Vine and today he continues to do so on YouTube , as well as having his own podcast.
In late 2019, David Dobrik decided to venture out with his own mobile app. Dobrik is the visible face, but behind the project are Natalie Mariduena and Daniel Liss. The latter CEO of the company behind Dispo. As a curiosity, its original name was David's Disposable, but in the summer of 2020 it was changed to its current name.
If you are interested in numbers, the app has raised the interest of investors. An application half social network half virtual camera that has been valued at more than 200 million US dollars.
