RIM may have wowed the audience at BlackBerry world earlier last month but the company has yet to release any product that has succeeded to take ground over the last year.
It was rumored that RIM had been in talks with providers about licensing the technology behind BBM to other platforms -- including Android and iOS -- perhaps as a way to ensure the companys continued relevance, even if their device sales are waning, by keeping consumers locked into their platform. The new project was branded "SMS 2.0" internally, but it was killed as fast as it was created.
Today, the WSJ is reporting that RIM has decided not to pursue licensing BBM and the project was killed as soon as new CEO, Thorsten Heins, was appointed. "It was not up for discussion," one person familiar with the matter said. The WSJ points out that the move is a "big shift" from a few months ago when the company was scrambling to keep BBM relevant.
Whether BB10 is to be Research In Motions saving grace, or their last hurrah remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain; the company is betting big on the release of their next OS, otherwise, it may be their last. The question is, does anyone actually care about BBM on other platforms?