Research in Motion Ltd. (BBRY): No Instagram, Netflix Inc. (NFLX) Apps – For Now

Research in Motion, Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) – er, BlackBerry Ltd. –  has been working hard to position its new BB10 operating system  for premium release in the U.S. coming up later this month. The new OS debuted in the U.K. and Canada in recent weeks with modest sales – though there are reports that U.K. retailers are already slashing Z10 handset prices after just a month – and the company has been continually building out its app marketplace. However, with all of the work to get the app count to more than 70,000, a couple of major apps announced this week that would not be developing for the new OS – at least not until it establishes itself in the smartphone market.

This week, it was announced that Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) property Instagram and Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) have both given their indications that while they have apps on iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices, they have no immediate plans to develop their apps for the BB10 operating system by Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY).

Research in Motion Ltd. (BBRY)In regards to Instagram, while there are no plans for a native Instagram app for BlackBerry, the Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) photo-sharing subsidiary at least for a time, had an Android alternative that can be sideloaded on a BlackBerry device, though the quality of the experience is not as good – which includes an inability to create an Instagram account from within the app.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is the latest major application that has ruled out Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) and ists BB10 operating system, at least for the time being. While there is no real reason given with Instagram’s decision, Netflix was on the record as saying that the BlackBerry 10 user base is currently not large enough for Netflix to justify the expense to develop and app for the system. Which means that if BlackBerry 10 can make a statement in the market, especially in the U.S., then the costs associated with building an app would make sense for Netlfix … according to Netflix.

What do you think? Does this affect Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) in its push to make BlackBerry 10 a viable alternative to Android of iOS? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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