Cross platform BBM Launch may be a Failure
...and an eye-opener.
The truth of the matter, is that BBM was popular 5+ years ago, and not so much anymore. The name "BBM" carries the same negative stigma as that the "Blackberry" brand. Most of my friends who own BB's right now don't even use BBM, and they use a Blackberry. Of course, this is mostly due to lack of contacts, but the result is that BBM does not interest them, or they don't understand the appeal. If many Blackberry owners don't understand the appeal, who will be convincing the iOS and Android users to switch to BBM? Especially when many users have their contacts established on Google Chat or Whatsapp, what reason should they have to switch to a new service?
I have already talked to my friends who are on Android and iOS, telling them that I am excited for them to finally be able to use BBM. Their responses all include either a complete lack of interest and/or hesitation to even give it a try, because its something made by "Blackberry."
For all these reasons and more, I have a feeling that this cross platform launch will not be what it could have been 5 years ago. It will be almost embarrassing, as this very hyped release will prove that nobody even cares about BBM, which was and still is considered to be Blackberry's greatest feature/appeal. This could potentially lower Blackberry's value as a company to prospective buyers who will see that BBM is no longer of value.
I certainly hope that the following weeks prove me and this post to be wrong; I would love to have some more BBM contacts :)
What are your thoughts on how the BBM cross platform launch will turn out?
[EDIT]
I am pleasantly surprised to see that the majority of replies to this post describe the very opposite of what I have personally experienced. This makes me more hopeful! However it is evident that I am not the only one who has this sense that people will ignore BBM. We can only hope for the best!
Also, the title may have been a bit harsh. The purpose of this post was to point out that this cross platform BBM launch could potentially not go as well as Crackberry nation had hoped, and I wanted to trigger a discussion about it. And please don't think of me as wishing anything but the best to Blackberry. #IChooseBlackBerry10