Will iMessage be blocked like FaceTime?

Apple's announcement last night that it had a competitor to RIM's BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), with the launch of iMessage was greeted with enthusiasm all over the world.  RIM has been very clear in saying that BBM is an integral part of their growth strategy and we in fact even speculated if this was enough of a differentiator in a previous post on our blog (click here to read it).

Image courtesy: engadget.com

However, as excited as all of us in the UAE got, we have to keep this in perspective until we get clarity from Apple, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) or any of the telecom service providers on whether iMessage will be accessible in the UAE because other Apple Apps like FaceTime have been blocked in this region.

iMessage it could be argued could be allowed because BBM is allowed but until we don't have clarity, it may be a bit early to start jumping for joy.  RIM will no doubt be happy to hear there is cloud of confusion that exists for iMessage as this could mean BBM could still remain their main differentiating factor moving forward in the UAE for a few more months at least.

Posted By: Ashish Panjabi, Chief Operating Officer, Jacky's Electronics