Apple scared of RIM? Unlikely

It might not be a coincidence that Apple released its iPhone 2.2 update just as the BlackBerry storm gets its 15 minutes of fame but, I doubt that Apple is “scared” of RIM as CNET’s Don Reisenger says. It looks to me like Apple had carefully planned to “steal some thunder” rather than was “scared”. That’s a known marketing tactic, right?

Is Apple “concerned” by Blackberry’s venture into the touch-only phone? Of course they are and they should be - only the paranoid survive (Andy Grove, Intel) . But let’s remember that fundamentally, both companies have prospered using different strenghts.

Blackberry’s killer app is still its legendary push-email. It is a well-oiled machine that has been tightly integrated into wireless carriers’ sales effort and support. Secondly, folks associate it with “reliability” & “security”—an image that Apple would certainly like to have. Finally,

The Blackberry OS is arguably better than Windows Mobile, although, my Blackberry Curve is as slow and bloated much more than my Blackjack (rest in peace).

The iPhone capitalizes on design (hardware, interface) and on an impeccable implementation of basic features (calls, contacts, unlock, voicemails, web browsing). Apple plus has more interesting applications and that’s good considering , as most companies have come to realize, the value is in the software. It seems to me that while Apple could eventually implement a good Blackberry client (BB’s “killer app”), Blackberry would have a much harder moment matching the overall execution and cool “halo” of Apple.

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[Source] dhiram