WhatsApp用户突破8亿：全球领先的即时通讯平台发展分析
据华尔街日报报道，全球知名即时通讯应用WhatsApp月活跃用户数已突破8亿大关，并以惊人的速度保持增长——每四个月新增1亿用户。
According to the Wall Street Journal, the globally renowned messaging app WhatsApp has surpassed 800 million monthly active users, maintaining an astonishing growth rate of adding 100 million new users every four months.
Facebook CEO马克·扎克伯格曾预测，WhatsApp很可能在今年实现10亿月活用户的里程碑。值得注意的是，Facebook自身花了8年时间才达到这一数字，而WhatsApp仅用了6年。
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicted that WhatsApp is likely to reach the milestone of 1 billion MAU this year. Notably, it took Facebook itself 8 years to achieve this number, while WhatsApp only took 6 years.
关键数据对比：
Key Data Comparison:
- WhatsApp：8亿月活 (800M MAU)
- Facebook Messenger：6亿月活 (600M MAU)
- 微信：5亿月活 (500M MAU)
2014年2月，Facebook以190亿美元的天价收购WhatsApp。与去年同期相比，WhatsApp用户数增长了惊人的3亿。
In February 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for a staggering $19 billion. Compared with the same period last year, WhatsApp's user base has grown by an amazing 300 million.
扎克伯格在今年1月表示，WhatsApp将成为Facebook业务的重要贡献者。在收购前的财报电话会议中，他曾指出WhatsApp需要先积累10亿用户才能为Facebook带来盈利贡献。
Zuckerberg said in January this year that WhatsApp would become an important contributor to Facebook's business. During an earnings call before the acquisition, he noted that WhatsApp needed to first accumulate 1 billion users before it could contribute to Facebook's profitability.
平台战略差异：
Platform Strategy Differences:
• Facebook Messenger：逐步平台化，推出支付功能并接入第三方应用，发展路径类似微信
• WhatsApp：专注于通讯核心功能，今年2月新增语音通话功能
• Facebook Messenger: Gradually becoming a platform, introducing payment features and integrating third-party apps, development path similar to WeChat
• WhatsApp: Focused on core communication features, added voice calling in February this year