Here's something few people foresaw: BlackBerry will bring BBM to iOS and Android this summer. This is a very bold move for the Canadian company. BlackBerry is so confident that BBM will succeed on other platforms, that the company is ready to share it. But, is this a mistake? BBM is known as the exclusive BlackBerry messaging service. That service won't be so exclusive if you can get it through iOS and Android.

It may also provide consumers with a good reason not to purchase a BlackBerry phone. If true blue BlackBerry supporters only purchase BlackBerry phones because BBM exists on those phones, BlackBerry's sales may dive once BBM is unveiled on Android and iOS. What does the company have to say about this move? The cocky answer might surprise you.

BlackBerry's Bold Statements

When asked whether or not this move was a good one, Thorsten Heins (BlackBerry CEO) had this to say: "It's a statement of confidence...we are confident that BBM can become an independent messaging solution." There's little doubt that BBM will be explored and used by many newcomers, but that doesn't solve the "I'll just use my iPhone to check out BBM instead of buying a BlackBerry" problem. Does it?

Unless, of course, BBM is not a free option on Android or iOS. This bit is unclear right now. Seemingly, few people would pay to use BBM on another device, but I might be wrong. BBM is extremely popular, after all. In this writer's opinion, though, BlackBerry needs to focus on getting better, and more popular, apps into the BlackBerry store. The new BlackBerry phones are really great, but nobody will migrate unless favourite apps are there.

All Hanging On a Thread

Heins was pretty confident when he made the above statement. It's obvious that the company is ready to roll with BBM across all platforms -- or is it? At the end of BlackBerry's recent press release, Heins states that the addition of BBM to iOS and Android is contingent upon the approval of Google and Apple. That's right, Apple and Google still have to approve BBM.

Then again, I kind of doubt that BlackBerry would make such a statement if the company didn't have some kind of go-ahead from Apple or Google, right? Well, only time will tell. Seemingly, though, you'll be seeing BBM on Apple and Google within the near future.

One More Thing: Competition

There's just one more little bit to this equation. BlackBerry will be facing quite a good amount of competition from competitor messaging apps. There are already a bunch of messaging apps in both the Play and Apple store. So where will BlackBerry fit into the picture? I'm really curious to know if people will actually start using BBM across iOS and Android. What do you think? Any takers?

This is just one of the things that BlackBerry announced yesterday. The company also announced some new phones and other fun things. Make sure to check out some of the articles on this site that pertain to BlackBerry's major recent announcements.