No iPad version in the works just yet, says software portfolio chief

May 17, 2013 09:25 GMT  ·  By

When BlackBerry announced BBM for iOS, the news spread like wildfire, including reports regarding its imminent release in the App Store (pending Apple’s approval) this summer.

But don’t get your hopes up for a tablet version anytime soon.

BlackBerry Software Portfolio Chief, Vivek Bhardwaj, said in a statement, “Smartphone is our real focus and and again it comes back to what BBM is. If you look BBM and the engagement and the activity, it's because it is mobile, because people are on the go.”

He stressed, “When you start looking at tablets, computers and other screens, the usage model changes and behaviour changes. For us right now the absolute focus is getting BBM onto smartphones.”

BBM for iOS will feature multi-person chats, voice notes, BlackBerry Groups of up to 30 people, and the ability to share calendars, photos, and other files.