BBM Rolling With 10 Million Downloads in 24 Hours
BBM’s Successful Launch Points Out A Survival Route For BlackBerry
This is the news you’ve been waiting for! I am thrilled to tell you that we are about to officially resume our rollout of BBM for Android and iPhone customers around the globe!* In the next few hours, people will start seeing BBM in Google Play, the App Store and in select Samsung App Stores – where it will be free to download.
BlackBerry had 10 million downloads in twenty-four hours. Now that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) is available on iOS and Android, the walled garden is down and everyone is pouring in to pick up one of BlackBerry’s signature technologies. If BlackBerry wants a signpost to a way forward that’s good for the business and ensures they stay relevant over the next few years, BBM has handed it to them.
Until now, if you wanted to be on BBM, you had to purchase a BlackBerry
BBM Blackberry Messenger_IOS_Android at GmaNsWolD.com
device. While smartphones were still regarded as ‘phones with a bit more’ it was a simple decision to buy one. But the last five years have seen smartphones morph into ‘very small but fully capable computers’ and not every manufacturer managed to stay on top of that change. Nokia stayed with Symbian for too long, and by the time they changed to a modern OS (in Windows Phone) Android and iOS were too far ahead to be caught.
To help manage this unprecedented pent-up demand for BBM, we are implementing a simple line-up system to ensure a smooth roll out. Here’s how it is going to work…
BlackBerry has struggled to make the jump to a modern smart phone, and it took until early this year to launch their vision in the Z10.
While the exact sales numbers for BlackBerry devices running the BB10 OS are not available, many analysts expect them to be around the 5 million mark with a following wind. Twice that number have shown an interest in BBM in twenty-four hours.
And BlackBerry is not finished with the app, as Andrew Bocking, BlackBerry EVP writes:
“We committed to delivering a BBM experience on iPhone and Android that was equal to that on BlackBerry 10. That means bringing BBM Video, BBM Voice and BBM Channels to Android and iPhone customers too. My team is still committed to bringing those features to BBM on Android and iPhone in the near future.”
Perhaps the only sad note to the success of the BBM app this week is the realisation that BlackBerry has come into this game too late to be earth shattering. Ten million users (assuming they all stay) is a big number, and one that could be built on, but the rise of clients such as WhatsApp Messenger (currently quoting 300 million active users across multiple mobile platforms) are a reminder of what could have been for BlackBerry. If they had opened up their service to a wider audience two years ago as former CEO Jim Balsillie argued for, instead of waiting for BB10 to be finished and placed in a rather standard smartphone chassis (the Z10), BlackBerry could have established themselves as the cross-platform mobile messaging system of choice.
That’s not an option for them in the near future, but with focus and dedication (and an attitude about serving the user first, and not serving the BB10 platform before iOS and Android), they have a chance to become part of the mobile infrastructure once more, without the extra cost of building and maintaining an alternative operating system or mobile hardware.
BBM is a little beacon of success in the middle of some turbulent times for the Canadian company. Hopefully BBM will continue to receive investment and attention so it can build on a successful launch and keep BlackBerry relevant in the smart phone world.
Related articles
- BBM service resumes !! Crossed 10 Million Downloads !!! (parisairammohan.wordpress.com)
- BBM Pin sharing for Android and iPhone owners starting to go viral on… Instagram?!! (crackberry.com)
- BBM for iOS and Android Downloaded 10M Times in 24 Hours (technobuffalo.com)
- BBM for iPhone and Android sees over 10 million downloads in 24 hours (mobilesyrup.com)
- BBM for Android launches today (androidos.in)
- Is it Bad Timing for Blackberry’s BBM for Android/iPhone? (eustacedunn.wordpress.com)
- BBM for iOS to Relaunch Today With Reservation System (iClarified.com)
- BBM for Android, iOS clocks over 10 million downloads in 24 hours (ibnlive.in.com)
- BBM for Android, BBM for iPhone finally here, but not for all (ibnlive.in.com)
- BBM for Android and iPhone hits 5 Million Downloads in 8 Hours (techcircledxb.com)
Ad Awareness – BlackBerry Increasing Apples Sinking
BlackBerry is Gaining Back Ad Awareness While Apples is Decreasing
Ad Awareness BlackBerry Increasing Apples Sinking? Is that correct? Records prove Ad Awareness numbers. BlackBerry hasn’t been known for their excellent marketing. Their new CMO, Frank Boulben, has sought to make that change. One effort was a company first by launching a $4 million ad during the Super Bowl.
It looks to be paying off. According to recent data, BlackBerry’s ad awareness is gaining on Apple. BlackBerry rose from a low of 6% in mid-January to 21% by the end of February.
Apple on the other hand is seeing a decrease. Their ad awareness dropped from 44% on January 15 to 38% on March 4, while their purchase intent also decreased from 14% to 7%.
The new BlackBerry OS and the two models which run it–the Z10 and Q10–are considered by many the last chance to save the BlackBerry brand. As such, the company has staked much in the way of resources to make it a success. The OS, which has been two years in the making, has been entirely rebuilt, using technology obtained when the company acquired QNX. So far the reviews for both the OS and new models have been good. The Financial Times, for one, effusively makes the case that the company has out-Appled Apple: “Within 30 seconds of picking it up, I felt as if I had the iPhone 6 in my hand. Running iOS 7. It is an awesome phone, with a pleasing new operating system, BB10.”
Complementary data from YouGov InvestorView also paints a modestly improved picture for BlackBerry. According to data compiled over the first quarter of 2012, among consumers who owned a BlackBerry phone and were likely to purchase a new phone in the next six months, only 30% planned to choose another BlackBerry phone. More BlackBerry users (34%) were likely to purchase an iPhone and an additional 12% planned to purchase from Samsung.
On the other hand, during the first two months of 2013, 34% of BlackBerry owners who plan to purchase a new phone in the next six months say they will stay with BlackBerry. Planned defections to Apple have decreased significantly to 17% while planned defections to Samsung have increased to 31%.
The data presented is far from indicative of certain success for BlackBerry, but it appears there is at least an opening for the company to take back some ground. While the US will still have to wait a few weeks for the full release of the new phones, BlackBerry might just have a chance.
Related articles
- Ad Awareness – BlackBerry Increasing Apples Sinking (coreygman.wordpress.com)
- BlackBerry Gaining Back Ground on Ad Awareness while iPhone Purchase Intent Slips (forbes.com)
- BlackBerry CEO blasts Apple, says the iPhone UI is now outdated (mobilesyrup.com)
- If iOS Is Five Years Old, Then BlackBerry 10 Is Five Years Late (allthingsd.com)
- BlackBerry Chief Heins Says Apple iPhone ‘Old,’ No Longer Innovative (forbes.com)
- CES 2012: Take a Virtual Tour of the BlackBerry Booth (blogs.blackberry.com)
- CES 2012: A Look at the Porsche Carrera 911 Convertible Loaded with BlackBerry and QNX Technology [VIDEO] (blogs.blackberry.com)
- BlackBerry CEO Heins: Apple iPhone UI is old, shows lack of innovation (phonearena.com)
- BlackBerry stock surges after big Morgan Stanley upgrade (business.financialpost.com)
- BlackBerry CEO Says iPhone Is Passé (allthingsd.com)
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