2005 was the year instant messaging as a whole became like a mainstream thing. There was a study that year that found that it was instant messaging was as big as email for the first time ever in 2005 which is actually later than I would have guessed. Uh and also like all the youngs were imming.That was like the big takeaway is like all the young people are IMing. And this is not like texting. This is IMing.They were like sitting at the family computer on AOL Instant Messenger which I did all through high sc ...

Messaging App Market & BBM's Rise - In 2005, instant messaging became as prevalent as email, particularly among young users, highlighting a shift in communication preferences [16] - Text messaging cost 10 cents per message, creating an opportunity for free, real-time messaging apps like BBM [1][33] - BBM launched on August 1, 2005, offering features like group chat, file sharing, and read receipts, resembling a full-fledged mobile IM client [34][35] - BBM's pin-to-pin messaging allowed read receipts, a novel feature at the time, enhancing user experience [35] BBM's Peak & Decline - By 2010, BlackBerry faced increasing competition from Android, marking a turning point in its market dominance [40] - BBM introduced features like BBM Music for $4.99 per month, attempting to create a sticky ecosystem [37][38] - In 2013, BBM had approximately 60 million users, but WhatsApp already had 300 million users, indicating a significant market shift [44] - BlackBerry considered spinning off BBM as BBM Inc, aiming to compete with WhatsApp and Skype [44] Strategic Missteps & Missed Opportunities - BlackBerry executives chose to keep BBM exclusive to BlackBerry devices, hindering its potential for broader adoption [41] - The company failed to capitalize on the stickiness of messaging platforms, leading to a rapid decline once users switched to other services [41][42] - BBM's cross-platform Android APK leaked in 2013, causing a system overload and delaying the official launch [44] - BBM officially shut down in 2019, marking the end of an era [44][45]