It’s been a long wait for the BlackBerry
Messenger service to go cross platform, but after
months of anticipation BBM for Android and
iPhone apps go live at the weekend. The BBM
Android and iOS release marks a radical shift
from BlackBerry.
Many people have been avidly waiting for these
BBM apps to release, and at last we were able to
tell readers that both apps will become available
this weekend on the Google Play Store and App
Store. The Android BBM app will launch on
Saturday 21st while the iOS BBM arrives one day
later (exact times here).
The many comments we’ve received from readers
about the upcoming BBM apps signify a high level
of interest in the subject. However, we have
previously noted that the releases could have
been mistimed.
It surely would have been better for BlackBerry to
go cross-platform a long time ago, before the
many other new messaging apps such as
WhatsApp became available and took a foothold
in the market. Nevertheless the release of BBM for
Android and iOS has finally nearly arrived and we
anticipate the App Store and Google Play Store
will be extremely busy over the weekend.
Making BBM available for iPhone and Android
devices indicates a major change for BlackBerry.
Where once the company used BBM as a major
selling point to sell its phones because of its
exclusivity, that selling point is now removed.
Also removed is the need for BlackBerry
smartphone users to keep using BlackBerry
devices. Messaging services now form a fiercely
competitive market, illustrating why BlackBerry
should have released cross-platform apps earlier.
BlackBerry seems convinced it is releasing the iOS
and Android BBM apps at the right time though.
BBM Executive vice President Andre Bocking said,
“With more than a billion Android, iOS, and
BlackBerry smartphones in the market, and no
dominant mobile messaging platform, this is
absolutely the right time to bring BBM to Android
and iPhone customers,” according to The
Guardian.
BlackBerry had hoped to revive its past successes
with the launch of the new BB10 operating system
and devices that run it. However, the new
smartphones haven’t lived up to sales
expectations and some analysts have referred to
BBM as one of the company’s only remaining
assets. It’s crucial then that BBM for Android and
iOS takes off in a big way, but of course this
remains to be seen.
Statistics show that in the UK, 9.3% of
smartphones shipped during the first half of this
year were BlackBerry handsets. However for the
US and world markets that figures falls to below
3%, which reflects the struggles that BlackBerry
has recently been having.
Mobile Analyst Ben Wood of CCS Insight referred
to the idea that back in May when BlackBerry
announced the iOS and Android apps, the feeling
was that this would make it easier for users of
BlackBerry phones to move to another platform.
However Wood states that now “the release is
more about creating viable services to support
BlackBerry’s business, as its hardware business is
failing.”
The success of the Android and iPhone BBM apps
now seems vital for BlackBerry’s future, and it will
be interesting to see how this pans out over the
coming weeks and months. While we wait to see,
we’d appreciate your comments on BBM.
Are you one of the many people who have been
waiting for BBM for Android and iOS? If you use
the service already, will you be trying to persuade
your friends with Android smartphones and
iPhones to start using it? Do you think BBM can
rejuvenate BlackBerry, or do you think that’s too
much to expect?
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