Touchscreen BlackBerry not an iPhone killer (not even close)
As Apple announced that it sold over 1 million of the new iPhones already (despite the activation debacle), pictures of the new BlackBerry "Thunder" have surfaced and so far it looks embarassingly weak.
Admittedly, this isn't the final version and you'll never win me over with Comic Sans, but this just goes to show you how much farther along the iPhone is to anything else in the mobile universe.
This begs a few questions:
1. What device will challenge the iPhone?
Considering Apple already has large market share and the walled/open garden of applications it will be a tough slog for a new entrant.
2. If the functionality of a smartphone outweighs voice abilities is it a good choice?
I've mentioned in the past that AT&T doesn't work particularly well at my house, and that Verizon has come through for me a number of times, but at this point the iPhone is so superior to every other device I wonder if I should just bite the bullet and deal with the occasionally weak coverage.
I feel like maybe its time to give it another shot, but then I remember that just a few years ago the RAZR (which was plagued by bad battery life and running hot) was the hip thing to have.
Dave Rosenberg dishes up "Software, Interrupted" with nearly 15 years of technology and marketing experience that spans from Bell Labs to multiple start-up IPOs to open-source enterprise software companies. He is co-founder of MuleSource and currently serves as the general manager of Hardy Way. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can contact Dave via e-mail at softwareinterrupted@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @daveofdoom. 
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Considering Apple already has large market share and the walled/open garden of applications it will be a tough slog for a new entrant."
First what iphone lacks:
It is 3G while European markets and others already have faster standards and/or bracing for them.
Still no Stereo bluetooth - most baffling seeing its a media device.
No upgradeable memory - 16gb chips now available, price dropping as a jaw dropping rate, new chips at 32gb at end of year.
Still no cut and paste - Strange and simple function that is horribly annoying when using the iphone device.
Radio, ability to record radio, flash, record voice, voice commands, removable battery...
Oh and for some reason the iphone can only do 1 application at once.
The competitors?? Easy:
Samsung i900
HTC Diamond and the real iphone killer HTC touch pro *coming soon*
The Sony Xperia *coming soon*
All of these competitors seem to have listened to these complaints and wants, and are simply superior.
Sorry but this article is decent but as usual lacks the journalistic integrity to actually compare.
If you want to use a BB with your business account you must purchase the device, purchase the enterprise software and purchase user licenses. Then you must maintain the thing. Want to patch your installation of enterprise server? Be prepared for the thing to be finicky once you are done. And your BB device talks to the RIM servers which talk to your corporate server. If RIM goes offline, which has happened twice in the last year, your BB will not receive email.
You don't have to purchase enterprise server to make the think work. You can just use the BIS service for free. Although you will not have as much functionality.
On the other hand, Windows Mobile works out of the box with Microsoft Exchange. There is no other software you are required to purchase and your handheld talks directly to your corporate server. There is no middleman. Your IT department has full control of the service.
True, Windows Mobile is still quirk even with 6.1 but it is cheaper to operate in an enterprise environment (even a small business network) and Mobile 7 which is to be release Q1 of 2009 looks like many of the quirks of previous Windows Mobile have been fixed.
"If the functionality of a smartphone outweighs voice abilities is it a good choice?"
H*ll no! It's an iPHONE, not an iPOD. Phone functions should take center stage. Of course, we all know it doesn't. The first incarnation couldn't even SMS more than one person. The 3g still can't MMS.
OK? You put a nice touchscreen on a phone. Nice. Uh oh, most everyone (especially in that target market) text messages. Uh oh, the competition has already produced BETTER touchscreens with better feedback. Uh oh, there are people that won't switch to that God-forsaken AT&T service.
"If the functionality of a smartphone outweighs voice abilities is it a good choice?"
H*ll no! It's an iPHONE, not an iPOD. Phone functions should take center stage. Of course, we all know it doesn't. The first incarnation couldn't even SMS more than one person. The 3g still can't MMS.
OK? You put a nice touchscreen on a phone. Nice. Uh oh, most everyone (especially in that target market) text messages. Uh oh, the competition has already produced BETTER touchscreens with better feedback. Uh oh, there are people that won't switch to that God-forsaken AT&T service.
Actually it's not really an article it's a blog. He's expressing his opinion more so then anything.
I have to agree with you though. The iphone is actually behind on more then it is ahead.
Great design, easy to use but I'm not a retard give me some functionality like the Stereo bluetooth and MMS, and other things you've mentioned.
Oh and lets not forget that they have an AppStore that is very policed. While not being a bad thing it's definitly not a good thing. What is Rhapsody wanted to let users stream music through an App they have created for the iPhone. Do you think that Apple would allow something like that? Doubtful.
Nothing will challenge the iPhone until Windows Mobile 7 is released. Even then, it might not be enough. There may not be any serious challenge to the iPhone until Windows Mobile 8 in 2010
A true iPhone challenger will have to have Multi-media capabilities, a full on 3MP or better camera with genuinely decent picture quality. I don't mean you point and shoot and get something resembling what you are taking a picture of, I mean full on quality comparable to any consumer grade digital camera in the $200 range. It will have to have GPS that integrates with the contacts stored on the phone or pulled from email or from a web page. The GPS will have to transition from car to walking.
I'd mention what would be required of the interface but that is one of the major overhauls of Mobile 7. The current interface of Mobile 6.1 will never challenge the iPhone and if Mobile 7 is similar to 6.1 it will fail.
!. RIM (Blackberry) has by far the largest market share in the smart phone market, always has.
2. Form January 'tll June of the year, Blackberry's market share has INCREASED while IPhone's market share has DECREASED.
3. For every *one* Iphone sold, *3* Blackberrys are sold.
4. Blackberry's continuing market share INCREASE since the Apple Iphone was introduced demonstrates Apple has *YET* to compete with Blackberry. Try to justify it all you want, it won't change tthe FACTS.
5. Apple chose to enter *Blackberrys* market, not the other way around. Apple is the new kid on the block. It's Apple that has the up hill battle, not Blackberry, Apple's DECREASE in market share and Blackberrys INCREASE shows that Apple HAS FAILED so far to compete with Blackberry
Blackberry doesn't need and "Iphone" killer, Blackberry's market SHARE continues to INCREASE despite the Apple Iphone. Instead it's. Instead Apple needs a "Blackberry" killer.
6. Apple is a Religion, a CULT. Apple fanatics are nothing more that cultists.
You have a better chance of getting a Branch Davidian to come out of the burning building than an Apple Cultist to consider any product that doesn't say :"designed by David Koresh .. errr Steve Jobs"
Apple Cultist continue to drink the Cool Aid and no one cares. Who cares if Apple Cultists buy Iphones?
Finally, where do you even get the notion that the Thunder is designed to be an Iphone "killer. Where's the quote from RIM staing this claim? You don't have it because it dosn't exist. Instead you make false claims in an attempt to support your false assumtions. You should be in politics. This isn't news, it's lies, a red herring.
First, Blackberry HAS NO NEED for an "Iphone killer". Second, the Thunder project PREDATES the Iphone. GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT. It's APPLE fighting the up hill battle, not RIM. Argue all you want, it can't change the facts.
Terrible article, biased author, lack of facts, false assumptions, a red herring article . Yet another Apple cultist author who refuses to see the facts.
An IDC report found that Blackberry - grabbed 44.5% of the market for the first three months of 2008, up from 35.1% in the previous quarter. The iPhone came in second place with 19.2% of the market in the first quarter, a drop from 26.7% the quarter before. So this tells us that the iphone has already been killed They will have another burst once the new one comes out, but then BlackBerry will be right back on top.
The fact that so many people likes this crippled device amazes the heck out of me. (crippled by every way mentioned by Jabber and the fact that it is only on AT&T unless you hack it.)
And @ the articles author your a moron to think nothing out there beats an iphone why do you think they dont have the market share if it was really so amazing why doesnt EVERYONE have one like the razr a year after it came out.
Because while its a decent phone and looks pretty its not that great of a cellphone. And if you dont happen to live in an area with 3g which most people dont, the 3g iphone is barely better.
functionality as a cellphone is more important to alot of people then a touch screen, or the fact that i can access itunes from my phone oooh another feature a majority of people dont really care about.
So until you take a look at the iphone and its competing companies in a logical stand point instead of with your lips glued to apples ass.
Please refrain from writing such senseless mindless biased articles that ramble off BS based on no fact.
Especially when for direct iphone competition there is phones like the samsung i900 samsung f490 htc diamond, the touch pro, the blackberry thunder when it comes out and probably an LG phone or two in there somewhere.
I don't think you should be calling anyone else a moron. I mean "your vs you're" is like 3rd grade English class...and if that wasn't enough "edumacation" for you then your college definitely professors (if you had any) failed you.
An IDC report found that Blackberry - grabbed 44.5% of the market for the first three months of 2008, up from 35.1% in the previous quarter. The iPhone came in second place with 19.2% of the market in the first quarter, a drop from 26.7% the quarter before. So this tells us that the iphone has already been killed They will have another burst once the new one comes out, but then BlackBerry will be right back on top.
The fact that so many people likes this crippled device amazes the heck out of me. (crippled by every way mentioned by Jabber and the fact that it is only on AT&T unless you hack it.)
I don't think that Apple is infallible (also referenced in the links) but I don't see how BB has kept up the innovation.
WHAT?? (maniacal laughter) What's so "smart" about that? I'd hardly *take money* to have to carry something so stupid.
- by mgnfcnt August 8, 2008 9:53 AM PDT
- KONAGOLD,
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(20 Comments)You couldn't be more correct. This article makes no sense at all. Until BlackBerry/RIM users start jumping to iPhone's, the market isn't tilting in Apple's favor one bit. It's amazing how the media throws things out there that hold no weight just to get a reaction, cause a stir or ATTEMPT to change the facts...