BlackBerry plans to spin off its messenger app

[jeff juwana]

BlackBerry is reportedly considering spinning off its Messenger unit into a more agile subsidiary. However, BlackBerry has made no comment on the rumor.

Five years ago, BlackBerry Messenger was the best mobile messaging app around. According to market share reports from IDC and many other tech research firms show, the vast majority of smartphone users have fled BlackBerry, thus leaving the BlackBerry messenger.

Since then, several other superior messaging alternatives have helped to make BlackBerry Messenger largely irrelevant.

Sure, BlackBerry (BBRY) still has 60 million users for Messenger. But WhatsApp has 300 million active users. Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) Skype has 300 million "connected" users. Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iMessage has 140 million minions of its own. Lesser-known apps such as Line and Viber have a significantly larger active user base than BlackBerry.

Facebook has 470 million mobile app users, with 53 million using the standalone Facebook Messenger app. Gmail has 425 million active users and the Google Hangouts chat service is tightly bundled into it. It also offers apps for Android as well as iOS.

Despite announcing its readily to make its messenger app available on iOS and Android, BlackBerry is yet to release the app. Every day that those apps go unreleased is another day BlackBerry loses ground to the competition.

Prior to the emergence of other messenger app, iPhone users were envious of BlackBerry Messenger.

 

[Vunderkind]

Whoa. 60 million users? Is that in one country, or in the whole world? Mahn, that's poor. I'm not shocked at WhatsApp's figures though. WhatsApp has become the go-to app for non-BBM users.

BlackBerry's tyranny is running it's final lap. I remember when the reason people couldn't leave BlackBerry was just because of the app, and as such, BlackBerry weren't ready to make the app public. With this new development, their hands have been forced.

But I must admit - I'm still shocked - 60million subscribers worldwide? BBM is doing even poorly than I imagined.

 

[jeff juwana]

Yeah, I think it is a shocking figure considering they once enjoyed a monopoly in the messenger app market. To a large extent, I blame the management and the company's futurist/analyst for failing to identify potential/future threats and opportunities.

Notwithstanding, Whatsapp should learn a lesson or two from the fall of the BlackBerry messenger app. The need to upgrade their graphics, in particular, the emoticon.

I hope this serves as a lesson to Nigerian businesses tho. Don't just think outside the box..Break the Shackle!!!