Research In Motion, the manufacturers of BlackBerry, could very well be bringing the defining service of BlackBerry, BBM or BlackBerry Messenger as it is commonly known, for iOS devices. It has been said that BBM for iPhone would be released via the App Store on April 26.
RIM had a Social Media conference today in Toronto, and my entire college business and marketing class was invited to the event. RIM’s co-ceo Jim Balsillie revealed that they plan to bring BBM and “other services” to iPhone on April 26 via the app store. Balsillie also revealed that they plan to release an update to the app this summer which will take advantage of a new “notification system”!
Previously, it was indeed rumored that RIM plans on bringing BBM to Android as well as iOS in order to take a more cross-platform oriented approach for potential customers. However, BBM on iPhone as well as Android will be no where near to BBM on BlackBerry smartphones as it is deeply integrated in the operating system.
There used to be a time when BlackBerry was a dominant player in the market. Since the iPhone came out in 2007, it has taken that spot. Do you think this approach would help BlackBerry in bringing back long lost users, or maybe attract new ones? The other side of the story is that those who wanted to switch from BlackBerry to Android or iOS, but could not due to BBM, would now be able to enjoy BBM on iPhone or on Android devices without having to lose their contacts.
Boon or bane? Sound off in the comments below.