BBM for Android and iOS: BlackBerry gambles for a bigger slice of pie
BlackBerry has said that the Messenger will now be available for Android and iOS. We weigh the risks and the benefits of this move
Without doubt, the BlackBerry Messenger had been the app/service/feature attracting a lot of youth (fondly known as BlackBerry Boys, in some circles) towards BlackBerry smartphones. The exclusivity meant users had to buy a BlackBerry phone to connect with their friends over BBM, friends who were already on the platform. And in certain markets, particularly regions of Asia, the affordable Curve handsets sold a lot because of that. Now, however, the pie is being shared with Android and iOS. How does the future bode for the BlackBerry smartphones, now?
Where BBM stands currently
At the moment, BBM has around 60 million users, even at a time when BlackBerry users and sales had been declining for the last couple of years. The rise of WhatsApp and the other cross platform applications was a factor that was certainly playing on BlackBerry’s mind. Whenever the topic of WhatsApp comes up, BBM is always mentioned. While the former had the advantage of already being on all platforms, BBM was restricted. And while the two weren’t exactly same, they were still mentioned in the same breath.
The immediate implications – what could and may go wrong
The very first implication of this move is that people now no longer have to stick to BlackBerry smartphones to get this application. The world of popular apps now awaits them on a planet they choose – Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS. The shift away from BlackBerry phones could be critical, with the loyalty aspect not there anymore.
Secondly, when you can connect with your friends who own a BlackBerry from your Android device or the iPhone, why would you even for a second consider selling that and buying a BB?
It is a surprising move, considering the affordable BlackBerry 10 smartphones are now slowly emerging from the shadows. These phones may not have the attraction or the pull factor that the Curve smartphones witnessed, particularly in India. Jeopardizing the future of your own smartphone platform and hardware sales is something that is a fairly bold and gutsy move.
Not all is bad though – the positives
One of the points behind this thought process is that even if your friends may have shifted to other platforms, but you can still stay in touch with them via that one app, there are chances you may just continue with the BlackBerry phone.
The second is the face-to-face battle with WhatsApp. The latter had the advantage of reaching out to a huge numbers by being on almost every platform, something BBM did not have till now. With this move, BlackBerry Messenger will probably be on the radar of every single Android and iPhone user. And if that 60 million user base gets bumped up to 100-million and above by the end of this year, they are creating a bigger ecosystem. An identity, and a service that may be indispensable. With those numbers, and that enormous user information database, BBM could pretty much become the Gmail of the IM world! No matter what device you use, the service will be available to you seamlessly.
Another aspect of the attack on WhatsApp is the wider feature set that BBM offers, with voice and video calling, and unique features like screen share. We are pretty sure all these features will eventually make it to the Android and iOS versions.
However, BlackBerry is also considering a factor that still cannot be put in numbers, yet, but may offer gains. It is the thing of publicity on the likes of the Apple iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store. The company hopes that seeing the BlackBerry name on the platform they currently use may just entice them to give the hardware a shot. We don’t see that being the sole assumption that this move is based on.
Quite a gamble
It is a very risky move, to be honest. There is no getting round that fact by sugarcoating it or hiding in a bubble. In the immediate future, the impact on hardware sales will be a lot more than the gains. But, BlackBerry is looking at gains in the long run. The company has said clearly that it is a game they are playing with patience. We can see BBM becoming very popular, once it goes cross-platform for real, simply because it is a very polished offering. And since it has 60 million people signed up, chances are a lot of your friends are already there. And more will be signing up soon. It all depends on how quickly the adoption on other platforms happens.