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The great iPhone debate

Posted by Joe on March 19, 2008

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve read a ton about the implications of the iPhone entering the business world. “It’ll kill BlackBerry,” say some Apple enthusiasts. “RIM is here to stay,” say the BlackBerry crowd. Clearly, it’s more complex than that. Count me among those who think that there is a place for both of them. (”You moderate,” both crowds day. “You stand for nothing!”) But as Rae revealed on the BBGeekcast last week, there is a large contingent of BlackBerry users who like the simplicity of it. This came after she said she’d rather not see BlackBerry models featuring a slide-out keyboard or a touchscreen. So maybe we shouldn’t be calling the iPhone a “BlackBerry killer,” but rather a real BlackBerry competitor.

A few weeks ago, I pointed to a story that showed the BlackBerry clearly atop the corporate world, with nary a competitor even close to their market share. I cannot see a simple announcement by Apple, that they’d support Enterprise and introduce push email, enabling them to make up so much ground in a short period of time.

Yes, over a longer period of time, a year or two, they might be able to close the gap significantly. The 2008 release of a 3G iPhone might help. Apple breaking off from its exclusive deal with AT&T could further that growth. However, I think we’re overlooking something here.

RIM has the ability to cater to all of their users. While the iPhone is but one device, RIM has a vast number of BlackBerry devices, with more on the way, if we’re to believe the recent patents they’ve filed. For all we know, RIM could release slider and touchscreen devices, while still manufacturing their tried-and-true models. This would give them a multifaceted approach to the market, while the iPhone is still just an all-in-one device.

So, while Apple might close the gap in the coming months and years, don’t think that they’ll overtake RIM anytime soon. It’s like Goliath taking on an army of Davids.