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Nov 21, 07 - 10:42 am Comment from: Ampar

"half-assed fakes"

I have complete faith that RIM's shot at copying the iPhone will be a whole-assed fake.

They'll all laugh at you said the competition to the iPhones soft keyboard.

Nov 21, 07 - 10:48 am Comment from: cptnkirk

"Levy speculates that RIM will introduce the 9000-series in the first quarter of next year."

Yeah, right. Just because you know it can be done doesn't mean you know how to do it. And you can't infringe on Apple's patents so you have to re-invent it all. Yeah, early next year. This I gotta see.

Nov 21, 07 - 10:48 am Comment from: Big Al

RIM is a formidable competitor. It is not just a small version of an incompetent Microsoft. People actually love their Crackberries.

Who could love their digital devices? People who own Apple products and people who own RIM products. RIM may just be able to compete with Apple's iPhone. RIM gets it. Other phone manufacturers do not stand a chance.

If anyone has a chance, it would be RIMM. The key skill set is software and Operating Systems, which RIMM does have experience at, as there are not a windows mobile-based phone. Believe me I'm not saying it will be great, but of all the phone makers, they've got the best shot. They aren't a bad company at all, really.

Nov 21, 07 - 10:52 am Comment from: Petey

RIM has seen the future?? ROFL!!!

More Like Apple has created the future!!

RIM know that when Apple is in a business market its a case of follow Apple's lead or die.

Nov 21, 07 - 10:56 am Comment from: HolyMackerel

"not an enterprise-friendly device?"

My fingers become fatter and my eyes blur more when I run my business, so I need the tactile keyboard. Don't worry, they auto-repair when I need to enter family events.

And the week before it is released Apple will drop the price of the 8G iPhone $50 and introduce a 3G 32G iPhone, stuffing up RIM’s profit margins. Anyway, the competition is good.

Now if only the AppleTV was tweaked with wireless purchases and TV subscriptions.

They're going to give Apple a RIM job?

With half their ass?

I don't follow...

Nov 21, 07 - 10:57 am Comment from: Macromancer

ME TOO ME TOO. I'm going to have a touchscreen implanted on my body woo hoo!

Nov 21, 07 - 10:58 am Comment from: Wandering joe

What do you call a half assed fake attempt at getting the job done?
A RIM job

So basically, without the iPhone they wouldn't have bothered developing something new (and hopefully better) because they didn't need to. Wow! How inspiring.

That's what I love about Apple they constantly improve things because they want to make them better for themselves as much as anyone. Other companies only do things in the face of losing money - if then - more often than not it's a round of cuts and cost cutting measures before they think of offering better products.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:07 am Comment from: Ampar

They've been circling this sensitive area for awhile.
And now RIM thinks they'll thrust themselves into the eye of this storm and eventually lick the whole market.

You cracked me up.

I'm still laughing.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:12 am Comment from: Petey

re: That's what I love about Apple they constantly improve things because they want to make them better for themselves as much as anyone. Other companies only do things in the face of losing money - if then - more often than not it's a round of cuts and cost cutting measures before they think of offering better products.


---

Yep!

And THAT is the exact reason why Apple is the most innovative company in the world, because they think out of the box.

Without Apple everyone on this planet would still be using computers the size of office buildings just to open a text document.

In business there are leaders and followers, the Leaders (e.g. Apple) innovate and move society and human development forward.

The followers (RIM and everyone else - including Microsoft) have no vision or original thought, they are blinded by their own lack of imagination and can only finally see the 'vision' when a leader (Apple) creates something.

It's the way of the world, everyone wants to be a leader but in reality they can never be leaders - only followers..

Nov 21, 07 - 11:15 am Comment from: Wandering joe

Classic Ampar! ROFL
They think they can pluck the fruits of Apples work, and then stick it to them. They best be careful lest they stumble and fall in a hole. They shouldn't spout of like that either. You know, "one slip of the tongue and they're in deep ----."

Nov 21, 07 - 11:15 am Comment from: Realist

Yes, the iPhone is fun and cool. But the world is not changed - at least not very much - by glitzy gadgets.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:18 am Comment from: Ampar

All it takes to change the world is handing over twenty cents, Realist. You know, a paradigm shift.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:22 am Comment from: Petey

If RIm had any vision what-so-ever they would have designed a touch-screen phone years ago long before Apple.

The technology was around 7-8 years ago to do it, so why didn't they do it???

Why does it take a computer hardware and software company of no experience at all in the mobile phone market to create something that Nokia et all should have developed many years ago?

It was exactly the same with the iPod, why on earth didn't Sony do what Apple did many years ago? They had the technology and the market sown up with the cd walkman.

This to me is the core of the problem - people just 'cant see the wood for the trees'.

It's a case of looking but not seeing or even realising that there are better solutions out there. All it takes is a questioning approach, listening to customers and some imagination.

3 qualities very very few companies these days possess.

But the CEO of RIM said that he hadn't tried an iPhone yet, remember?? A revolutionary touch-screen device wasn't important to him then...why should it be important to him now???

Nov 21, 07 - 11:29 am Comment from: DRM sucks

" And the plastic keyboards with Tic Tac-sized buttons begin their march into obscurity."

Well, they better keep in mind that things have been "trending" towards buttony keyboards. And that you can't text while driving with a touchscreen device.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:33 am Comment from: Ampar

"And that you can't text while driving with a touchscreen device."

I hope that anyone sending text messages while driving is the only to die in the accident.

RIM is good, and I definitely love my BlackBerry. The key advantage RIM will have in this arena is support for third party software, legitimately. Apple still hasn't given us an iPhone SDK, and nobody knows how controlling Apple will be when it comes to applications. I can install a wide range of programs on my BlackBerry right now, no questions asked, and no hacking.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:35 am Comment from: Ampar

"is the only one" (Editing the hard way.)

It's really going to be interesting to see what RIM comes up with. The iPhone's covered by about 200 new patents. That means they're going to have to come up with some really original ideas or settle for a second-best imitation.

RIM, though, does have some advantages. They have an unparalleled, secure world-wide e-mail network, which it's large user-base values highly.

My guess is, that by the time RIM gets it's act together, any (small) disadvantages that the iPhone might now have, will have been made good with third-party programmes, and then with all the patent-protected advantages it does have, the iPhone will win the day.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:38 am Comment from: Macaday

I wonder if RIM thinks this makes them look good?

It just confirms they're also-rans, playing catch up and generally a bunch of wonks.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:41 am Comment from: Mr. Reeee

RIM, like MS, got locked in by their own success.

RIM actually WAS fairly innovative in the beginning. In an Apple-like manner they combined existing technology in an interesting and compelling way. A Blackberry is basically a Palm and a phone held together by fairly comprehensive wireless services, which really ARE the key to the Blackberry's success. Their software is pretty awful, though. The actual hardware was never particularly interesting, attractive or groundbreaking. They're like calculators with wireless.

Think of it. Phones are appliances. Pervasive. Functional. Basically, BORING. The cell phone builders and service providers were hard pressed to do anything interesting and make their wares compelling and desirable. They were locked into the telephone mindset. Telephone as walkie talkie.

So the offered Colors. "Futuristic" shells. Flip open. Swing open. Always open. Slide open. Then there's the featuritis followed by poor interface design. What a formula!

Apple came at the problem from an entirely different angle with a MUCH different perspective and a MUCH different set of skills. Great software. Great Industrial Design. AND the VISION thing. The phone makers didn't have a chance.

Apple creates, others follow, ape and parrot...

Nov 21, 07 - 11:41 am Comment from: DRM sucks

Ampar: I was making reference to the stupidity of those that claimed the touchscreen was inferior to physical QWERTY keyboards because you can't text while driving because you have to look at the screen. We are in agreement that no one should be texting while driving.

Also, let me lead you in the right direction on the other sentence in my comment. One of our favorite Apple fan-baiting tech writers criticized the touchscreen because things were "trending" to the buttony keyboards on smartphones.

In sum:
1. sarcasm
2. not implying you should be texting while driving
3. not implying the touchscreen is bad
4. not implying physical keyboards are good

"The 9000 series will break from the traditional half-screen, half-keyboard look of the BlackBerry..."
"...Insiders have observed that because of Apple's iPhone patents, the new RIM 9000 series will use embedded cameras and projectors, and resemble a BIG-ASS TABLE.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:54 am Comment from: Spock

Actually I'm pleased with this. If it wasn't for the iPhone there would probably be no LG Voyager, Google Android or this even though that they don't match up to the quality of the iPhone. This is great for those of us like me who won't switch to the iPhone because of AT&T;. I would take (depending on price) to hold me over until Apple gets some sense and opens the iPhone to other services like Verizon.

Nov 21, 07 - 11:54 am Comment from: Ampar

Thanks, DRM sucks. I agree with your agreeing that we agree.

In sum:
I wasn't implying that "DRM sucks" is bad.



Side not: Palm should come out with a 9001 series just to chap RIM's ass.

Nov 21, 07 - 12:08 pm Comment from: Spark

Time to sell my shares in ACME MiniKey Corp.

And the RIM OS will be.... Android.

Nov 21, 07 - 12:27 pm Comment from: Ampar

RIM Os sounds like a scary breakfast cereal. This time chocolatey does not mean goodness. It puckers in milk?

RIM using Android means Apples WINS.
Android is Apples open project to Google.

Fair game, but under Apples technology which Apple shall CONTINUE to develope and YES - control the stratosphere of this amazing niche Apple has uncovered.

All this is so familiar to the mp3 music player wars.
iPod vs (Zune, Creative, blah, blah blah)
We already know the out come.

Ditto

Nov 21, 07 - 12:29 pm Comment from: Grigori

But (adopting whiny Ballmeresque tones) "it's not going to appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard, which makes it not a very good email machine!"

If you can't beat them... join them.

RIM is caving!

Nov 21, 07 - 12:32 pm Comment from: Grigori

The "9000-series"? As in HAL 9000? That turned out well...

More Apple fanboy wit(?).

Nov 21, 07 - 01:29 pm Comment from: Ampar

Grigori:

I think it may be closer to the SUX 9000 from Robocop.

"...Insiders have observed that because of Apple's iPhone patents, the new RIM 9000 series will use embedded cameras and projectors, and resemble a BIG-ASS TABLE.

at least with this we can get video chat

Nov 21, 07 - 01:33 pm Comment from: gzero

@Gavron,

"RIM, though, does have some advantages. They have an unparalleled, secure world-wide e-mail network, which it's large user-base values highly."

...until it crashes spectacularly, like it did the beginning of the year...

http://www.intomobile.com/2007/04/18/blackberry-push-email-crashed-crackberry-addicts-spiral-into-despair.html

I hate my Blackberry Perl. I have to have it with the company I am with, and it is worthless.

* The back constantly falls off because the device is so pickin' cheap.
* The screen is way too small
* The web absolutely blows - completely useless
* No music, no video worth a darn
* Battery life sucks
* Double touch for letters keyboard is a nightmare
* Reception is worse than the previous Crapberry I had

I would jump onto an iPhone in an instant if we could get away from our current carrier. The iPhone is not only "enterprise friendly" but it makes all my business associates trying to fiddle with their Palm and Blackberry's look like fools.

Nov 21, 07 - 02:10 pm Comment from: cogitoergomac

@Spock: ATT was one of the advantages to me for the iPhone. But cell carriers are reviled it seems by everyone. I personally had horrible experience with Verizon. You may recall that it was not Apple that had no sense, it was Verizon. Verizon rejected Apple's terms, so blame your preferred carrier, not Apple. You're the one missing out on the experience. The iPhone is phenomenal, and ATT's service has been just fine.

Nov 21, 07 - 02:15 pm Comment from: KingMel

This has likely been discussed before, but it struck me the other day how similar the iPhone and iPod touch look to the Newton MessagePad from over a decade ago. Change the black plastic to the metal enclosure and delete the stylus and you have the iPhone form factor. Blend the Newton with the iPod, add cell phone functionality plus some great new technology...

Nov 21, 07 - 02:19 pm Comment from: dallas

Hey, I know we all like Apple and want to see great products rule the market, but don't forget that Apple is not the only ones driving the market with great products.

RIM's blackberrys are Great mobile phones. And what is better is they are on our side. RIM and apple are a team because they both have a common enemy, M$. Remember the old days of the late 90's when you had your hands tied if you had anything but windows? Those days are almost over now. Soon the Platform you are using won't matter. Everything will be web based and cross platform, which is great. Imagine if Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, Gateway, and Lenovo all competed on features instead of only on price. That is why Apple is on a roll, they are selling great features. That is what we are going towards.

We should be rooting on the likes of Linux, RIM, and Palm. The more diverse the internet is, the better because web developers will have to learn to use standards.

Nov 21, 07 - 02:40 pm Comment from: Spock

@ cogitoergomac
I remember that verizon refused the iphone and I was mad at them for that. I didn't mean to imply that I'm some kind of verizon fanboy what I should have mentioned was that I'm stuck with verizon since I can't find any reason to convince my parents to switch to at&t;besides the iPhone. They've been using verizon since back when it was GTE.

Nov 21, 07 - 02:43 pm Comment from: ragarcia

I just wrote this message using my iPhone while driving.

Nov 21, 07 - 02:48 pm Comment from: JohnValjohn24601

Hey, I wanna get my Ass RIMMed too!

Nov 21, 07 - 03:07 pm Comment from: dallas

Verizon = GTE??! Really, I did not know that, and yet that explains so much.

Nov 21, 07 - 03:07 pm Comment from: Grifterus

Mmm... touch screen keyboards?

How does "defending Apple's patents" will affect here?

Will it be as easy as it was to just copy MacOS?

Just askinghere.....