When RIM launched their proprietary BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) instant messaging application, it was nothing more than a convenient, secure way for business men around the office to keep in touch with each other using their monthly allotted data plan to chat without the annoyance of filling their already saturated email inbox’s with short sentences as well as avoiding the then costly regular use of standard text messaging. Companies loved it because it saved money, RIM loved that they had created a niché; everyone was happy.Then the unthinkable happened: BBM went viral. Though very bare-boned, it worked. It was an efficient, quick, and cheap way to keep in touch with friends locally or worldwide without incurring the often exorbitant fees associated with standard text messaging. RIM was floating high with their newly found fame; no one offered what they did and more importantly, no one could. At the same time, Microsoft was losing market share by the minute with their then rapidly fading Windows OS’s, Apple was getting ready to unleash their iOS device software to the masses, along with a then very basic – but still game changing – iPhone 2G, and at that time, Google’s Android OS was nothing more than an unconfirmed rumor. So on top of having a proprietary instant messaging app, they also had little to no competition in the mobile space. In short, RIM owned the smartphone market and quickly became the go-to device for both companies and consumers alike, largely because of BBM.Now you would think things are all peachy keen right? Wrong. BBM was – and still is – only for BlackBerry OS and with competition naturally comes imitation; iPhone (and soon Android) users’ wanted an IM (instant messaging) solution as well and developers saw it and recognized it, thus ushering in a wave of apps claiming to fill the void lost when users’ made the switch from BlackBerry. Many briefly did well, but as fast as they grew, they also lost steam; whether it was due to a lack of consistent updates or what not, there were – and are – only a select few that really caught on over the years and are still widely used now (whatsapp, kik, and liveprofile just to name a few). But the biggest reason for said apps losing steam? They just weren’t BBM, nor were they official apps acknowledged by Apple; this has forced many, myself included, to annoyingly carry two devices. Many of my contacts/friends around the world are active on BBM and it remains the fastest, cheapest, most widely used and easiest way for us to communicate. It also provides a sense of security; because unlike most apps you aren’t forced to give out ANY personal information and have the ability to delete and/or block if conversations get inappropriate. To put it boldly: BBM has become a benchmark IM that, to date, no one has successfully duplicated to its entirety.Then came today’s World Wide Developers Conference or WWDC for short. Apple’s yearly conference which – as per normal – gives them the worlds attention to announce the latest and greatest to come from their labs in Cupertino. Other than the expected iOS5, OSX Lion, and Cloud announcements, Apple pulled something from way out of left field: iMessage for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, directly positioned to be Apple’s answer to BBM. If anyone could finally compete with RIM, Apple was it. The instant chat app (set to launch this coming fall as an added feature of OS5) will let Apple users exchange text messages, photos and videos, just as BlackBerry users do with the popular BBM program. And like with BBM, iMessage will include prompts showing when a message has been received and read, and when other users are typing. Apple says all messages will be securely encrypted – one of the biggest selling features of B2B BlackBerry sales.While this news is well and good for Apple die-hards, BBM has become an entity in itself, a household name if you will; brand recognition of that caliber doesn’t go away overnight, regardless of falling stock prices. BlackBerry’s are and always will be the best communication devices around, period. That being said, do I think iMessage will “take down” BBM? No. BBM is too big for that. I don’t even think that RIM should look at it in that way. iMessage has a lot of potential and will definitely give BBM a run for its money if launched properly, becoming a solid catalyst going forward for consumers – business or non – to take the full leap. But I think it’s way to early to start assuming it’s the “be all end all”.As I stated before, MANY have tried to steal BBM’s thunder, many have also failed. Maybe this latest news will be the final push RIM needed to open up the use of BBM for other OS’s. Does iMessage – and its solid backing – even have what it takes? Or is it another destined to fail? Many questions are left unanswered, and until official release, will remain that way. So for now, sound off in the comments with your thoughts
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