Editorial: Does BBM need to lose platform exclusivity to fight Facebook

Posted by formulatech on November 15, 2011 09:16 am 3

So this is my first post on the Verge forums. I love how Josh and his team have produced a way for readers to comment on idea and stories and use this great amazing website. 

In my option as it stands the only reason for me (Male, 19) to get a blackberry is to text friends and girls on BBM. From what I have seen BBM's users have gone from sales and corp to teenagers using it like they did msn in years gone by. I think I'm right in saying BBM works like IM so you have to send a request to connect with someone via a pin then when your connected you have unlimited messaging each month for £5 here in the UK. That seems like a really good idea. I guess corp used it because its encrypted and works on wifi, 2g and 3g, but I guess teenagers probably don't even know its encrypted if asked. 

I am a late teen male with a iPhone 4. After upgrading to iOS 5 to get iMessage I thought that iMessage plus the BBM downtime would see many users moving away from there Blackberries to iPhones or even Android/WP7. I was wrong, the most popular phone make I am seeing around my local area is still blackberry. Its interesting that most of theses are old blackberries some have 3G but no all, but 9 times out of ten when I have seen the screen they have BBM open and are in a chat.

As a iPhone user and Apple follower I know that when Apple create a new technology or app they like to spread it to all there devices. For example: Facetime was first shown off on the iPhone 4 then when the iPad 2 was announced they added Facetime and the same with the iPod Touch. 

I think RIM should release a app for other platforms so they can have more users on BBM. To be hostest as a iPhone 4 user I would pay for a app to BBM with my mates. I feel that there is nothing in the blackberries required for BBM it's just a app and a web backend. They should allow users to sign up to BBM and use it via the Web, iPhone, Android etc. We have heard many rumours that a Android app is being created, I think that BBM could replace texting plans for lots of users if everyone you know has a smart phone they you could be all set. 

As things stand Facebook is trying to get into this market first with Facebook Message for iOS and also on Android. Samsung is trying this service also. I think it would be huge for RIM to go cross platform with BBM and they could double there users overnight easy. That leaves us with Apple and Google. Apple has never created a blackberry or Android app which leads me to think that unless RIM makes the first move to iOS then Apple is not going to worry about making iMessage cross platform.

I think that with so many smart phones on the market today the platform controllers ,Google Apple and RIM needs to be more cross platform and less waltgarden. 

I'll leave you with this thought, as we know RIM is losing marketshare every quarter to Apple and Google. Could they go cross platform to put a steak in the ground and be a leader in mobile cross platform communication.