BBM has been delayed for quite a while, the first announcement coming from CEO Thorsten Heins back in Spring and then about four weeks of waiting for the app to get finalised, after a few compromising leaks showing the user interface on iOS and Android.
It looks like millions could not wait to get their hands on the application, 10 million downloads may be one of the biggest scores any app has ever gained on iOS and Android and it just shows how many old BlackBerry users are excited to use their favorite IM client once again.
This is not just the US and Europe grabbing the free app, major BlackBerry users in Africa and South Asia have grabbed this app in droves over the past few hours. BlackBerry has made the first huge move to cross-platform connectivity and we expect more apps to come from the Canadian smartphone maker in the coming months.
We are not sure if this is a big win for BlackBerry just yet, it is great they have so many users on their app but the company is already struggling to send out codes and activations for the ten million users on the platform now.
If they cannot meet the demand and if users become bored of BBM, there are other options of iOS and Android, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and new quick messaging services like Snapchat, changing the game when it comes to connecting with friends.
This news comes just a few months before BlackBerry hands over the owner keys to Fairfax Financial Holdings for $4.7 billion, although interest in the Canadian company has hit an all time high with this huge success on the two biggest mobile platforms.
Looking at BBM as an app, it could be worth a few billion on its own to investors. BlackBerry seems to be the overbearing death bug for BBM, something that is making investors and possible buyers think twice. If this had happened to a startup application, the startup would be filing for a $1 billion IPO or selling to one of the biggest players in the industry.
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