Blackberry announced today that its new Blackberry Messenger
App for Androids and iPones has reached a milestone: 20 million users have
downloaded and started using it since its launch last week. RIM, Blackberry
phones manufacturer, has finally decided to roll out a BBM app compatible with
other smart phones. While most agree that the launch has come ages after it was
supposed to, it is promising to see that it has finally taking a step towards
being more integrated in the smart phones era.
Blackberry was once a leader in smartphones market with the
creation of the first mobile email device. Only a few of years ago everyone was
on “crack”berry and RIM was on top of its game earning success by being
appealing to both corporates - with its safety features, and teens - for their
direct messaging service. However, at that time, a new type of competition was
arising with the introduction of the iPhone and the app structure, but
blackberry was quick to dismiss it as rival and adamant that the market was not
changing. This was the beginning of its downward spiral, and ever since then people
have been switching to new smartphones without no hesitation.
I believe that while it’s encouraging to see so many people
download the app, it is more important to measure in a couple of months how
many users remain engaged and interested in using this app. I personally have no interest at the moment to
download the BBM app as I feel there is a social messaging overload available
on smartphones (such as WhatsApp, Viber, Tango, etc). Nowadays, there are many ways
available for people to stay connected and reach out to one another and while
BBM was the precursor of them all it has lost its appeal a long time ago and
has become ancient.
No comments:
Post a Comment