BlackBerry is reportedly looking to spin off its recognizable BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service into its own subsidiary. It would be called BBM, Inc. The move doesn"t mean much to the consumers, but it does explain BlackBerry"s motives a bit more. BBM, Inc. would give the impression that BlackBerry Messenger is of value to the entire company. Since BlackBerry is not-so-secretly considering selling out, value is a key component for negotiations.
Since BlackBerry hardware hasn"t been selling quite well lately, it seems the company is trying to shift focus on the products that have more potential to compete. BBM currently has 60 million users total. Once a service available just to BlackBerry owners, it has now expanded onto iPhone and Android as well as a free multi-platform messaging app.
BlackBerry will also launch its BBM Channels feature soon that would get brands and celebrities on board with users of the messenger, and it"s also rumored to be planning a release of BBM for the desktop as well. However, when Wall Street Journal reached out for comment, a BlackBerry spokeswoman simply said "We haven"t announced any initiatives to bring BBM to the desktop."
There"s definitely a plan in action for further expansion though. "People are also becoming leery of how they share their personal information and mobile communication services need to be built for that," the spokeswoman added. "They are also looking for a simple, customizable interface and BBM brings that."
Source: WSJ