[gnirkatto]

So I just read that T. Heins said BBM will never appear on other platforms than BB.
Many people stated that this makes total sense, as BBM is a USP for RIM.

Well, here is my position, as a faithful BB user, based in Europe:

my parents use Nokias.
my sister uses a Samsung/Android.
Of the ~25 workmates that I communicate with on a regular basis, 2 use BB, the rest is mainly on iOS, some on Android. Even the 2 BB users prefer Whatsapp or SMS over BBM, in order to stay connected.
One of my friends (not very experienced in cellphone topics) was talked into a W7 phone by his carrier.
I met some friends for dinner the other day - there were 3 iPhones, one Android, one Nokia E7 and one E6 around the table. Oh yes, and my 9900.
My ex-wife used to be on a Nokia/symbian and changed to iOS recently.
My girlfriend happens to be on BB but doesn't want to use BBM as nobody else does.
My son uses a Samsung/Bada (!) device.
My other son uses a Galaxy S2.
Oh yes, there is one friend of mine in Israel, who is on a BB and sends me a message twice each year.

For me - and for the entire circle of friends, family and workmates of mine, BBM is absolutely pointless, regardless of being a smooth, capable and fast service.

Even if 2 or 3 of those that I listed above will change to BB in the near future, what would them - or me - move over to using BBM, rather than continuing e.g. with Whatsapp and reaching ALL friends and family?

I think it is a very bad decision to not release BBM on other platforms. Just a few potential users might be kept away from the BB platform, but the vast majority who are on different platforms will never get teased to even take a look at BB, the platform that provides such a nice and free service.

[Zach Gilbert]

I understand where you're coming from, I've got family on a few platforms as well. But one thing you'll need to look at is what if, what if RIM let BBM on other platforms? Could we see I high rate of people leaving? Right now with the launch of BlackBerry 10 right around the corner RIM needs to focus on that, and hit it home.

I don't think you'll ever see iMessage on other platforms, so I hope BBM doesn't either. My wish would be a desktop version of BlackBerry Messenger to allow people without BlackBerrys to connect and communicate.

[gnirkatto]

Well, I think with BBM on other platforms, I could potentially convince some others to start using it and then to take a closer look at BB ("...other features as cool as or even cooler than BBM...") and maybe to change platform.

But today - with no point of contact at all - no way. THe ONLY thing that made SOME FEW iOS/Android users gaze at my BB is it's keyboard. But so far, this was not enough to convert anyone. And, as we learned, the first BB10 device will be a non-keyboard one.

[Zach Gilbert]

For sure the first BlackBerry 10 device with feature an on-screen keyboard, but it'll be the best one out there! But if that isn't your thing there will be a keyboard one soon after, making people no longer wish that BBM was cross platform.

[bobauckland]

The ideal thing to do would be to release BBM as a cross platform app, with limited features, with even more features on Blackberry native BBM.
This gives you the option of using it as cross platform to get people hooked, then move over to BlackBerries for the full experience.
The problem is, once people move to other platforms and see that theres something nearly as good as BBM, who will stay on BlackBerries just for that? Keep in mind BBM is basically a paid service whereas thats not the case on other platforms.
There was a time when BBM had high mindshare where they could even have got away with charging for BBM on other platforms, I don't think that would work well at the moment with the free alternatives that come so close to BBMs features, plus the fact that other alternatives are improving at a rate faster than BBM seems to be.
It has to go cross platform, telling people they need to move to BlackBerries to experience BBM will not work with the alternatives out there, specially because RIM themselves can't explain properly why BBM is so much better than the alternatives.