But now, LINE's popularity is even

But now, LINE's popularity is even catching up with that of Net stalwarts Twitter and Facebook. As of Oct. 19, 15 months since LINE was launched, the global user count topped 68 million users. Japanese users totaled about 31 million.
Unlike the two popular social platforms both originated in the U.S., LINE was invented in Japan. The creator NHN Japan is the Japanese unit of South Korea's NHN Corp. Initially, the local unit, headquartered in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward, planned to introduce to Japan a search service launched in South Korea by the parent company. But it later changed its plans and decided to create its own application. Though the company is financially affiliated with the South Korean parent, it is independent in terms of management.
One might wonder what makes LINE particularly popular, while there is a diverse range of social services out there.
The main reason will be the fact that LINE specifically caters to smartphone users. It is also available on cell phone and other mobile devices. Existing free voice and video call services like Skype were for early adopters of the Internet, who mostly used personal computers. But the rise of the smartphone has popularized the cyber world at a frenzied pace, and also altered market needs.