RIM / Blackberry Rolls out Messenger to IPhone / iOS, Android and other devices

As a quick follow up to my last post, you can see that one of the main reasons why anyone bought a Blackberry device was the unique messaging services and how they were delivered, such as push email, Blackberry Messenger (BBM).

Blackberry / RIM rolls out Blackberry Messenger (BBM) to other devices

As of basically today you can now run the blackberry messenger BBM application on other devices and other smartphones, including Android and iOS devices. This means that you can now communicate using BBM with people that have Blackberry devices, by using your existing android or iPhone.

What Does This Mean?

Well in short this is the final nail in the coffin for the Blackberry, its sad to say but he once might device has now diluted away its competitive edge, by allowing anyone to use BBM.

Although the exact process as to the roll out and cost will be seen as RIM sees how it is taken by the general public, whether they employ a monthly cost, per message cost is still open for debate.

However

What this does mean is that RIM in releasing Blackberry Messenger (BBM) to other devices have done 2 things.

1. They have removed the need for anyone to buy a Blackberry Handset, and given that both Android and iOS devices have a lot more to offer and are cheaper than a Blackberry handset, means that they will lose even more market share in the handset arena.
2. By launching BBM as a software solution to other devices, RIM are moving away from where they started, they are now moving to be more of a software messenger service than a handset provider.

In Closing - the Future of RIM and Blackberry

Well its a shame to say it but I think the future of RIM is even more bleak than it was, this latest move is the nail in the coffin they did not need, the main reasons are simple.

1. By allowing anyone to use BBM on their device, removes the need to buy a blackberry handset at all.
2. Blackberry Messenger / BBM will now be seen as a direct competitor to other messaging formats such as text messaging / SMS / MMS this means that in order to make money from the BBM roll out they need to compete with users already existing tariffs, which as I mentioned in my previous post all usually come with a huge amount of text messages at no extra cost, so why would people pay additionally to send a message to someone when they can send them a text. Not sure they will :(
3. RIM have forgotten that most phone tariffs are used for data use, and as such people now have access to social networking sites, such as twitter, FaceBook, G+, LinkedIn and not forgetting services such as Skype. My point is by opening up the BBM market and making it some what public, they have created additional competition they never had before.

So I am sad to say it but I think this latest decision by RIM is the end of RIM as we know it, they will, if they stay afloat, move into the messaging market for software. Which may not be such as bad idea as I think its about Skype had some competition. (and RIM if you are reading this, please give me credit for that idea)

Thanks 
Sean J Connolly
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