Why Won’t You Dump Your BlackBerry For An Iphone?

by Robb Dunewood on March 7, 2008 · 102 comments

I am sure that everyone is going to be talking about the iPhone SDK for some time to come and and certainly the doom and gloomers that think that the BlackBerry is about to go the way of the Palm Pilot. I know, for a fact, however, that many a BlackBerry user is just as hooked on their BlackBerry as much as iPod users or hooked on their iPods and they simply won’t switch because they love the things so much.

There is no way that RIMarkable could have survived for 4 years if the BlackBerry didn’t have an awfully strong following and I just don’t see tens of millions of BlackBerry users dumping there devices simply because you will be able to get email from Exchange pushed to the iPhone 4-6 months or so from now.

Initially this post was going to be a top 10 list why most BlackBerry users won’t be switching any time soon, however, I couldn’t narrow the list down. So many RIMarkable readers send me emails every day about why the BlackBerry is for them that even if I could narrow the list down, it just wouldn’t seem right to do so.

That being said, I’ve decided to pose the question to the BlackBerry faithful.

Why won’t you dump your BlackBerry for an iPhone?

I know that some BlackBerry users will switch. Some BlackBerry users already have. To quote from a Heath Ledger movie, however, many BlackBerry users feel that the iPhone has “been weighed, the iPhone been measured, and the iPhone has been found wanting.”

BlackBerry


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  • Greg B

    my blackberry.net address allows me to receive emails instantly.instantly is faster than 15 minutes. Does that make sense to you, hellno?

  • hellno

    Greg B, Guess what? Thats too bad, since YOU have been out of line all day and getting upset over the TRUTH that the iPhone supports BOTH push and pull email and soon will support MS Exchange email. You must face FACTS that your “wrong”.

    The TRUTH will set you free, the TRUTH along with Apple’s innovations will also by the way hurt RIM and the BB.

  • pd

    the blackberry.net email addresses are push. it’s a fact, it’s truth, and it’s reality. do some more research.

  • JHP2

    H,

    “Keep on stroking your girlfriend bluehorseshoe you two are perfect for each other.”

    A bit personal eh? Should I run to Robb sobbing or create a post whining about personal attacks like you?

    ““the BB is fully baked” alright it’s done and just about over like you and your sad little club of ignorance.”

    If that is the case, why are you here spewing? It is RIMarkable, iPhoneable. Clearly by baked, I mean tested and currently working. Not someting that we will see in June. Until Apple releases it and it is proven, it is vapor.And I am no Windows bigot as this was posted using an iMac.

    BTW, isn;t there a memorial service for the creator of DnD that you should be attending right now? Just looking out for you.

  • hellno

    Yes Greg its been ALL DAY now.

    instantly is faster than 15 minutes, HOWEVER your only fooling yourself since BIS “I’ve read documentation that says 15-min polling for POP3s, IMAPs, etc” is the FACTS and BIS takes 15 minutes or “instantly” in Greg B world. Which in the real world is the rate one many chose to select on the iPhone for automatic pull, to say nothing about Yahoo push email for the iPhone.

    http://www.apple.com/iphone/questionsandanswers.html
    “What email systems does iPhone support?
    iPhone supports the most popular email standards — IMAP and POP3. Check with your email provider to make sure the provider uses these standards. iPhone works with most popular email services, including Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, and .Mac Mail. Yahoo! Mail supports “push” email and can automatically deliver new email messages to your iPhone.”

  • hellno

    OH now now JHP2,

    Your panties are getting bunched…. Perhaps Bluehorseshoe can help you.

  • JHP2

    @ Hellno,

    As usual, the substance of my comments is left unaddressed.

    May the farce be with you.

  • argonnj

    I made the switch. Sorry, but the iphone beats the BB hands down.

  • hellno

    The “substance” of your iPhone doubting comments needs no addressing. It’s fanboy FUD. All the “substance” you feel is missing is available at:

    http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/iphoneroadmap/

    As normal with Apple, there is no “vapor”. There was a device which everyone without knowledge of Apple started to hammer the moment it was introduced to the press a year and a few months ago. The iPhone was introduced to the press and the wireless device forums went into ignorance mode as the fanboys of other devices suddenly were frightened, afraid, and knew the iPhone was about to kick ass.

    JHP2 your FUD:
    “Clearly by baked, I mean tested and currently working. Not someting that we will see in June. Until Apple releases it and it is proven, it is vapor.And I am no Windows bigot as this was posted using an iMac.” At the very least shows poor judgement and in June as the iPhone yet again proves itself, it will show yet another rightened, afraid, ignorant fanboy.

    Those in the Know, Know better than to bet against Apple.

  • hellno

    argonnj, Michael,

    What do you guys think? Bet there will be alot of Johnny-come-lately’s this summer :) Desperate to own a iPhone, desperate while distorting and spinning the FUD and ignorance they spew presently

    Sad to think those in the Know already Know better….

  • bluehorseshoe

    Hey everyone, I just came across a fact straight from Apples web site…

    Hellno is a retard!

    Steve Jobs said so. I even have the link!

    http://www.apple.com/hellno_is_a_retard.htm

    There is even a tag on the definition of hellno on wikipedia. Hellno – “a moronic idiot who trolls blogs spreading retarded beliefs about issues it doesn’t understand.”

    Now, with those FACTS telling the TRUTH, you need to step down, apologize to everyone and stop all your GRANDSTANDING about issues you don’t understand, comprehend, or know.

    Ps…we’re talking about phones here. What is it with you knocking everyone who has an opinion different than yours? Are you that demented? I know for sure Robb isn’t going to invite you to the annual RIMarkable picnic.

  • jhp2

    Hellno,

    No one is betting against Apple. But proof is in the pudding. Additionally new releases are notoriously bug ridden whether it is Windows or Leopard.

    And those in the know, know all about the Lisa and the Newton.

  • hellno

    Uh someone better pull the plug on bluehorseshoe, he’s making less sense and being more ignorant than ever. bluehorseshoe must be feeling the desperation that he made a big mistake downgrading from t-mo to mcwireless, his wife followed, and now bluehorseshoe see’s that his last hope and dream, his beloved blackberry pearl is crippled with features and functions removed by verizon AND with Apple’s recent iPhone Roadmap he knows he’s on a sinking ship with both his provider and BB. He’s so upset he pooped his pants again.

    “Ps…we’re talking about phones here.”

    “bluehorseshoe
    #61. March 7th, 2008, at 8:55 PM.
    Hey everyone, I just came across a fact straight from Apples web site…
    Hellno is a retard!
    Steve Jobs said so. I even have the link!
    http://www.apple.com/hellno_is_a_retard.htm
    There is even a tag on the definition of hellno on wikipedia. Hellno – “a moronic idiot who trolls blogs spreading retarded beliefs about issues it doesn’t understand.”
    Now, with those FACTS telling the TRUTH, you need to step down, apologize to everyone and stop all your GRANDSTANDING about issues you don’t understand, comprehend, or know.”

    “Ps…we’re talking about phones here.” INDEED little bluehorseshoe now apologize and curtsie to the group, even with your underware full of poop.

    PS the RIMarkable picnic has been cancelled the new upgraded picnic will be known as iPhoneMarkable.

  • Rob

    as soon as the iphone is on another carrier, i’m jumping on it. have you actually looked at one of these guys up close? SPECTACULAR.

    now, i LOVE my blackberry–but it’s going to go the way of the treo in the face of the iphone, unless they break new ground in return. i’ve seen it happen again and again with technology. the iphone is it right now and it will be mine. oh yes, it will be mine. :)

  • hellno

    jhp2,

    now now, no FUD and excuses…. Help your buddy bluehorseshoe, he messed his pants and his mom is too busy to clean him up right now.

    Those in the Know, Know better than to bet against Apple.

  • bluehorseshoe

    My Pearl isn’t crippled, take a look…

    Hellno is a retard. FACT!

    See, done straight from my Pearl. :)

    PS.- the Olympics are coming up…are you excited?

  • jhp2

    @ Hellno,

    I guess I could ask why you would think I am a fanboy. And what am I a fanboy for? Blackberry. Love mine. But I liked my Treo as well. And I am on the record as saying that I hope Apple gets this right. But until we have seen the solution, it is not baked. Not to mention that it is reasonable to expect that I will be a RIM afficianado given this is a Blackberry, not an iPhone, blog.

    BTW, have you considered starting your own blog? Perhaps iPhoneable or Hellnoable? Then you could just give your readers the TRUTH as you see it and if they disagreed you could ban them. Just a thought.

    Have a nice day :-)

  • jhp2

    Rob,

    The iPhone is a nice device, no doubt. Screen is amazing. However, as a work tool it does not meet my needs. As soon as they have addressed Enterprise concerns (which they seem to be getting serious about), add 3G, tethering and a hardware keyboard, then I can consider it. At that point, I will take a look at the network. It would be great if it was on CDMA so I could take advantage of VZW’s network plus roaming on Alltel and Sprint.

    What I think will happen is that the efforts of Apple to reach into the Enterprise will lead to RIM stepping up with innovations of their own. It will likely spur improvements on Windows Mobile. It is going to be fun to watch and experience.

  • hellno

    jhp2,

    “Then you could just give your readers the TRUTH as you see it and if they disagreed you could ban them”
    That childish, thats bluehorseshoe game playing.

    BTW verizon cdma is going away, it’s being upgraded to GSM/LTE why would you want a iPhone for a obsolete technology. Lucky you will still be able to roam on Alltel since they have a rather stout GSM network.

    Still full of doubt, RIM’s in deep sh*t.

  • Greg B

    jhp2, don’t even bother talking to him like he’s a normal person.I tried earlier, just to give him yet another chance not to be a total ahole, and he failed miserably.He lies, he can’t take anyone having a differing opion than him, and he will make up a ton of self-serving BS and lame jargon to cover for his crushing insecurity. I pity you, hellno, for I know deep down inside you are just as miserable as you make evryone on this site. And please, for the love of God, refill your prescription.

  • hellno

    Lookie here, surprise, surprise, bluehorseshoe took another “dump” on RIMarkable and in his pants.

    “bluehorseshoe
    #66. March 7th, 2008, at 9:15 PM.
    My Pearl isn’t crippled, take a look…
    Hellno is a retard. FACT!
    See, done straight from my Pearl.
    PS.- the Olympics are coming up…are you excited?”

    “now I try to ignore it except for the occasional here and there”

    All that ignorance and LIES too… how surprising is that… NOT

  • bluehorseshoe

    @ hellno

    AllTel is GSM? Wow, when did that happen? I think you need to have a meeting with your crack research department.

  • hellno

    Greg B,

    It’s might be better to “be a total ahole” then to be ignorant and spend the day trying to figure out ways the iPhone couldn’t work for yourself with such high made up demands. Your statements about BIS and time have been proven wrong more than once, you have wrongly accused those posting the TRUTH and FACTS as misleading even though YOU Greg have been posting misleading post after misleading post, even ones which go against RIM’s own BIS written spec. I pity YOU Greg, we all know deep down inside the ignorance which is you. And please, learn the difference between BIS ~15min polling and push which is what your BB with BIS give you and the automatic pull and push email available on the iPhone.

  • jhp2

    @ Blue,

    He is refering to a block of GSM they received as part of the Western Wireless deal. However, the only network they offer to customers is their large CDMA network. They combine that with great custome service which is why they finished at the top, with VZW in the Consumer Reports survey on wireless networks, in the cities they serve. I have mentioned to our friend several times that ATT barely finished about Sprint in that survey and had poor ratings for dropped calls. As you can imagine, that was never addressed.

    It would be a waste of time to remind some people that CDMA and GSM were always supposed to come together at some point and that we are quite a ways from VZW using LTE. The good news is that when they do switch, they can use their current towers and in short order their coverage of GSM/LTE will be better than ATT once again!

  • jhp2

    @ Blue,

    That GSM patch Alltel has is used only to sell roaming capacity to TMO and ATT out in rural west.

  • bluehorseshoe

    @ jhp2

    Thanks, but I know about the block they bought. Doesn’t matter though if they don’t have it out there for offer though, which is my point to hellidiot once again. Why throw crap out there if its useless?

  • hellno

    bluehorseshoe,

    I think you better once and for all learn and listen before posting and making everyone know your a grandstanding ignoramus who is RIMarkables resident troll with poop in your underpants.

    “When Alltel acquired Western Wireless in 2005, it gained a large GSM footprint as well. While it does not offer GSM service to its own customers, Alltel has indicated that it will continue to maintain the GSM footprint and perhaps even expand it to provide roaming service to GSM users of other wireless carriers. Although, as of April 1, 2007, Alltel no longer maintains the GSM footprint in the coverage area it acquired from First Cellular of Southern Illinois.[citation needed] They required previous GSM customers in the affected areas to obtain a new phone and contract.”

    Take a seat in the back of the class boy and put on the idiot hat with the name bluehorseshoe embroidered into it. Yet again those in the Know are posting the TRUTH, FACTS, and REALITY to little ignorant bluehorseshoe and his poop filled pants.

  • jhp2

    @ Hellno,

    When exactly will the VZW CDMA network be taken down and when will my CDMA phone, whatever that is, stop working on VZW’s network? Years, months, weeks, days away?

  • Thought

    I will say that the Epocrates program for doctors will go over very well. I know a few doctors and they all have iPhones. It may be anecdotal, but I do think that quite a few doctors fancy their iPhones.

    And the Epocrates program is one that can take advantage of that beautiful screen on the iPhone. That is one example of an app that will just work better on the iPhone than anything else at this point.

    As others have pointed out, including “hellno”…the iPhone has a tremendous advantage in being a handheld computing platform masquerading as a cell phone. It actually was a stroke of genius from Steve Jobs to use the cell phone as a way to truly bring about the handheld computer revolution.

    Combine that with the screen graphics capabilities, and that will make the iPhone the preferred device for certain applications.

  • jhp2

    @ Blue,

    That GSM block is just a nice cash cow for Alltel. As you pointed out, they do not offer it to customers. It is for other carriers. They have analog they offer for roaming and make a ton of money from roaming agreements with other carriers for CDMA. They are strong in more rural areas and really help carriers fill in their gaps.Another thing they offer that is nice is that they have EVDO in rural cities that would be without high speed wireless otherwise.

    Funny sidebar, I used to sell 1xRTT against EDGE and win most of the time because while EDGE had a max of 384, that required you to grab the lions share of bandwidth off a tower and the Cingular devices were throttled and usually could not grab all the “Pipes” needed to get the 384 speed.

  • jhp2

    @ Blue,

    I think he called you a poopy pants. Probably the last time you heard that was in pre-school!

  • Greg B

    Hellno, you’re all over the place, just getting sadder and sadder.

  • bluehorseshoe

    @ jhp2

    Sadly, I think the last time I heard it was this AM…from who else?

    Regarding Alltel, I was checking out the site and oddly enough, when I enter my zip code, no phones appear. After selecting the Pearl as a phone on the front page to bypass the phone link, I was asked for my zip code. I entered it in and whala…”Sorry, we do not offer any service for your chosen carrier in zip code”. I’m in the 7th largest city in the US. What gives?

    I’m starting to miss NY.

  • bluehorseshoe

    @ Thought…

    You’re absolutely right it has certain advantages, and I don’t think that many will argue the fact that it has a nice future ahead of it with some tweaks here and there (battery swap, enterprise email, physical keyboard (corp. models?), camera-less version, etc.). Then again, how many phones out there are practically running their OS on the phone? Mircosoft doesn’t count although I find it to crash as often as their desktop OS when heavily tasked. :)

    It’s a solid choice for the consumer world. Some businesses are going to hop on as well, just like some consumers are grabbing BB’s for other reasons. If the iPhone provided me with the features mentioned above, along with top security and the ability to tether with 3G capability on a solid network, then I’d be on the bandwagon as well. I love the browser and what it can do…that’s something that nobody out there comes close to. And if Apple can integrate the ability to edit word, excel and powerpoint documents, then we’re really talking.

    Another thing that I do like about the Apple is the ability for older folks to visual see it better for use. If it wasn’t for the keyboard, my parents were going to get one. It was just too difficult for them to hit the key they wanted to hit correctly. A physical keyboard along with the nice front screen I think would certainly appeak to those with poor vision.

  • jhp2

    Alltel is not everywhere. Defintely regional. Based in Little Rock with big presence in Carolinas, Phoenix, Jacksonville, Cleveland. Nothing in Atlanta either. Good carrier though. I lost more deals to them than any other carrier.

  • Jason

    @ Thought…
    Epocrates works just fine on my BB Pearl from VZW.

    Gotta say I have thougt of switching to another service provider.. But VZW is the only cell service you can get in Metro tunnels in DC. No complaints on the device and wouldn’t change to anything else.

  • cbs2669

    I had an iPhone when they first came out. I kept it about 2 weeks and then went back to my BB. The iPhone was (and still is) at great gadget, and had a lot of people asking “Is that an iPhone?” However, when it was all said and done, I wasn’t ready to part with my BB…here are a few reasons why.
    1. I love BB’s flashing red light, to let you know you have a message/missed call….had to continually push the home screen on the iPhone….gets old.

    2. Anyone who thinks BB battery life sucks, would crap and fall back in it if they had the iPhone….I was charging that damn thing nightly.

    3. BB Messenger…can’t beat it for messaging.

    4. The physical keyboard is a must for me. Although it is difficult to type while driving (and not encouraged) it is do-able…try that with the iPhone and you’ll land in your local ER or funeral home.

    5. The iPhone is just too big and heavy to carry around in your shirt pocket, or any other pocket for that matter. Like the more streamlined BB.

    6. Couldn’t stand the email layout on iPhone. BB is made for handling email. I’ve never had a problem configuring email to my BB. For one particular email address I had to configure the iPhone with one incoming server, and a differnt outgoing server..just to make it work. What a pain.

    7. WiFi, and 3G aren’t really that big of a deal for me.

    Guess that’s enough for now.

  • Mark

    Because i hate iTunes, like really hate it alot. When I had an ipod I just stopped using it because I couldn’t bring myself to keep using iTunes. The last thing I want is to have to use iTunes even more…..

  • JHP2

    Well, here is another potential reason to consider sticking with your BB:

    “Only one iPhone application can run at a time, and third-party applications never run in the background. This means that when users switch to another application, answer the phone, or check their email, the application they were using quits.”

    See the rest of this at BGR : http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/03/08/iphone-sdk-honeymoon-over-no-background-processes/#comments

    The comments are interesting as well. It is this type of thing that leads me to not get too excited about the iPhone updates until I see them working. Until then, you just do not know what you are getting.

  • bluehorseshoe

    @ jhp2

    No joking, I was just typing that in as I read about that last night. Kind of takes away the point that its a handheld computer if everything has to close down when a call comes in or another application is being opened.

    Its not that I do any heavy work on my BB, but if I were ever to switch over to an iPhone, it would defeat some of the tasks I would expect and want to do and accomplish.

  • Thought

    It will take years for the enterprise market for the iPhone to properly develop; no one should expect Apple to all of a sudden get it perfect. But I do think that Apple has a long term plan and that over time the iPhone will make significant inroads in this market.

    In the meantime RIM needs to keep doing what it does well, and then add to that.

  • Shredney

    Holy S**t There is a little man here who needs to get a life, little mr. Hellno needs to take his pill and find himself a girl. Is he in Junior high. I love my Pearl, and have an iPod, and love it, but have some very dissapointed friends who thought the iPhone could replace their BB. Not a chance in Hades. Very “pretty” device, lots of flash but useless for the business person. They have a long way to go and will possibly get there, but not for a long while, and to think that RIM won’t respond…. well then keep your iPod, err iPhone. hmmmmmm

  • Marc Fogel

    Why I won’t dump my BlackBerry?

    1. I need the outages every quarter, it forces me to put down the device and pay attention to other things.
    2. I like looking at the html tags in my email.
    3. The BlackBerry browser is the best in the industry.
    4. I like looking at the hour glass when moving around applications.
    5. I like purchasing devices with dust under the screen.

    Seriously, I have been using a BB since 1999 and switched to the iPhone for 7 months and just came back to the Pearl and a Ipod Touch. RIM cannot keep going the way they are or they will be in trouble. I hope the Apple SDK/Active Sync lights a fire under their butt.

  • http://www.magiclevel.com/ TruthSeekerImbecileBreaker

    Shredney,

    So because your friends couldn’t make the iPhone work for them you are claiming it’s “useless for the business person”? Not sure but believe that’s somewhat shall we say incorrect, real life sure does not support that claim. Also do you somehow feel crap posting about someone else who posts his or her opinion makes you look like a smarter person? Just some things to think about as you grow up.

    Marc Fogel,
    You are so right, great post. Some/any objectivity and knowledge is becoming few and far between here at RIMarkable.

  • JHP2

    @ “Truth….”,

    I do not think I am the only one who thinks you sound a wee bit familiar.

  • microbe

    I am a recent “convert” from iPhone to BB Curve 8310. I really loved the iPhone for the “eye candy” and for many other things. It really is a neat gadget and it is fun to fiddle with. Browsing on the internet was nice, as well as loading my photos and music. :) However, for my occupation in the medical field, the BB ended up being the better tool. I like that I can install applications such as epocrates drug database, calculate IV drip rates, etc, etc.. I also enjoy that my e-mail from my mac.com account, gmail.com account, etc, can all be viewed instantly in my messages folder as I receive my messages. I like that I can put in a 2GB micro SD card and store all of my music and photos for later viewing and listening. :) All in all, while I enjoyed the iPhone, I am a happy convert to Blackberry.

    Thanks for reading! :-)

  • nick

    bb for life. end of story.

  • jonabyte

    I don’t know the needs of the rest of you, but i use my blackberry for email. Nothing beats it, it could go down once or twice a month and it is still miles ahead of others in that field.
    I would buy the ipod touch before getting an iphone.

  • GBVZ

    I agree with jonabyte, as I’ve said in another thread, I don’t have a BB yet but plan on getting the 8330 once it’s available for VZW (end of month?!)

    I can however say why I won’t be getting an iPhone. 1. the obvious reason… I’m on VZW and don’t want to switch carriers… again… and more importantly reason #2. I like to keep my personal life (music) separate from my business life (email). I own an iPod and love it… I also own an iPod shuffle and love that too… it’s great for working out, running and biking (which I do a lot of). I don’t need a big iPhone with me while I run. 3. I connect my iPod to my car stereo… like hard-wire it… not the easy aux imput but the through the back of the stereo input. I don’t want to have my cell phone connected that way to my stereo. If I get a call… I’d have to stop listening to music to take it. Whereas right now… I can just turn the volume down but keep listening to music in the background…

    I think the iPhone doesn’t take drivers into consideration for that reason… I want to listen to music… but talk on the phone at the same time… if you have one device that does it all… where’s the compromise?

  • http://samuelfebres.com/blog portorikan

    Why I won’t dump my BB for an iphone?

    AT&T.
    Cut and Paste.
    No background processes/apps.

    – Not necessarily a deal break, but that backspace/delete button could certainly be put somewhere else.

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