Bold or iPhone?

[supermum]

I know that I will probably get some skewed answers seeing how this is a BB site. However, can anyone help me with the pros and cons between what we currently know about the Bold and the new iPhone?

Here are mine so far:

iPhone Pros: Price point (can BB beat it?), 8-16 gigs, large screen
iPhone Cons: Touchscreen

BBB Pros: QWERTY keyboard
BBB Cons: Smaller screen, 1 gig, price?

Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated. I will be using my phone for "pleasure" not business. I will not be using it as a mp3 player.

Will either phone have a full html browser? Java?
Does the new iPhone have instant email notification?
Does the new iPhone have GPS?

[CSI Guy]

BB folks, I hate to say this but iPhone linked with the new "Mobile Me" will be a winner. This new Mobile Me is like Enterprise for the common man. You will get push email, push calendar, and push contacts. This for a road salesman will be great. Now I don't know if BB has a BIS program like this but if they do then great but if not, wow what a great service for people who need to have their phones and computers synced over the airwaves updated constantly.

[ERDude]

I'm a Mac guy, love everything Apple except the I-Phone.

1. Because it's on AT$T
2. I didn't like the virtual keyboard

[supermum]

Originally Posted by davidlw

BB folks, I hate to say this but iPhone linked with the new "Mobile Me" will be a winner. This new Mobile Me is like Enterprise for the common man. You will get push email, push calendar, and push contacts. This for a road salesman will be great. Now I don't know if BB has a BIS program like this but if they do then great but if not, wow what a great service for people who need to have their phones and computers synced over the airwaves updated constantly.

I love the idea of a push calender and push contacts. Do you need a Mac to use "Mobile Me?"

[rpalumbo]

Originally Posted by davidlw

BB folks, I hate to say this but iPhone linked with the new "Mobile Me" will be a winner. This new Mobile Me is like Enterprise for the common man. You will get push email, push calendar, and push contacts. This for a road salesman will be great. Now I don't know if BB has a BIS program like this but if they do then great but if not, wow what a great service for people who need to have their phones and computers synced over the airwaves updated constantly.

David, I am with you. I have a curve and was waiting for the bold, but with the announcement today and the information I am reading over at apple.com I will be getting myself the new IPhone for only $199.00, darn could cost. I am not giving up my Blackberry, I can still use it, umm maybe as a coaster. No way, I will just use both for different options and reasons.

[kc5mzr]

Looks like the Mobile Me will work from PC or Mac. $99 a year for the service. I'm also giving the new iphone a hard look. I'm leaning toward the Bold due to the number of applications available. I'm currently a Treo 650 user and use it a lot for reading e-books. I have books from ereader.com and in Isilo formats that can't be read on BB or Iphone yet. I have read about styletap.com building a palm OS emulator for the iphone. But I think the BB will have the software I need before the iphone.

[bknepp]

I think that Apple is trying to steal more of the market away from Blackberry. I have been waiting to buy a blackberry Bold and almost bought a curve, but now the price point of an iphone with the me software is just perfect. I will have everything that I need out of a phone for under 200 bucks, yet I think the bold is going to come in above that and I will still have to pay to get emails, calander and contacts pushed. With Apple having 19% of the smartphone market I only see that number getting bigger. Depending on when the bold is released. I think it is time Blackberry gave up some information or it will lose users buy mid july

[SLVR6]

BOLD is the answer for me. IPhone looks nice, but I much prefer my Blackberry. Would like it though if RIM would make a web interface like Mobileme for us BIS people. Even without I am sticking to my BB!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rpalumbo]

Originally Posted by bknepp

I think that Apple is trying to steal more of the market away from Blackberry. I have been waiting to buy a blackberry Bold and almost bought a curve, but now the price point of an iphone with the me software is just perfect. I will have everything that I need out of a phone for under 200 bucks, yet I think the bold is going to come in above that and I will still have to pay to get emails, calander and contacts pushed. With Apple having 19% of the smartphone market I only see that number getting bigger. Depending on when the bold is released. I think it is time Blackberry gave up some information or it will lose users buy mid july

That price is amazing even for only 8 gigs, he $299 is for 16 gigs. My only concern is third party applications as well as apple apps. Will they require more space?, will the 8 gig be adequate enough or should you drop another hundo for the 16 gig. I guess more information will be giving the closer we come to the official release date.

[pilotguy404]

I have a feeling that this thread will be huge....

[Arninetyes]

Honestly? Choose what you like. Unlike some people who come onto this site to convince BB users that iPhones or some other phone is superior, the truth is, get what fills your needs and what you like.

For me, since I like to push real keys instead of virtual ones, I like the proven reliability and security of BlackBerry (instead of hoping and praying Microsoft does it right this time), and I like the idea that I can insure my phone (I spend time in places that are hard on phones on my job), then I'll keep my Curve.
I also will get an iPod touch - all the great stuff of an iPhone without the lousy phone.

BTW, you'd best hope Jobs fixed the phone part of the iPhone. The iPhone 1 is pretty bad. It was the biggest complaint in every review - and the biggest complaint of every iPhone owner I know. Jobs didn't mention it, I don't think.

[salgonza]

This was taken from theiphoneblog.com. Now, why would I get the iphone when the bold is Hopefully coming out this month. Huge Con here for the iphone.

Sorry to rain on the iPhone 3G parade but it has to be done. Here’s some not so great news about the iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3G data plan is going to cost $30 per month. That’s $10 more than the current iPhone plan. On top of that, current iPhone owners will have to sign a NEW 2-year contract to use the iPhone 3G. Meaning, buying an iPhone 3G won’t be a seamless upgrade in the traditional sense. Granted, AT&T won’t count the remaining years on your current iPhone contract to the new iPhone 3G contract, the fact that you have to sign a new contract plus the added cost per month just doesn’t sit right with me.

Look at it this way, the iPhone 3G costs $199. Hip hip hooray right? Not quite. We have to add the cost of the added monthly fees. First we multiply the 10 dollars more a month by 24 months (the life of a 2 year contract) which equates to $240 dollars more to use the iPhone 3G’s data plan versus the original data plan. Now for the simple math, $199 (cost of the iPhone 3G) + $240 (cost of 3G data vs EDGE data over 2 years) = $439 over the lifetime of the contract. That’s actually a $40 dollar increase from the current iPhone, not quite the ‘half price’ that we’re being marketed to believe.

Also, it looks like AT&T will discontinue their pre-paid, GoPhone option meaning there is no alternative than being tied into a 2 year voice+3G data contract under AT&T. At least before, some users could choose to use the iPhone as a pseudo-data only device.

Perhaps its because the old revenue sharing model of the original iPhone is no longer in effect, but it looks like AT&T has taken back control of data plans and is positioning the iPhone 3G to increase subscribers and broaden market potential. The carrier subsidy is theoretically included in the $199 price, essentially AT&T is giving Apple the money upfront instead of through a month-to-month revenue sharing plan. Do we as consumers win out? Depends what your perspective is. The iPhone 3G is still a great phone and a steal, but AT&T & Apple are obviously not in the same relationship they were in just one year ago.

So when the iPhone 4G comes is AT&T going to raise our data prices to $40? Will it stop? What do you guys think of this? Does it change your perspective on the price of the iPhone 3G?

UPDATE: Gizmodo is also reporting that the iPhone 3G can only be activated in store via a 10-12 minute process. Also, a fine might be levied to those who don’t activate the iPhone 3G within 30 days. It seems like the iPhone no longer carries that unique badge of being separate from the rest of the other phones in AT&T’s lineup anymore..

[CSI Guy]

Does BB have a Push server for people who don't work for large companies with Enterprise? If so what and where do I get it. If not maybe they should think about something like that.

[kygator13]

I like my real keyboard, and I think the iphone is just ugly looking. I will be getting a Bold. I don't care how much more it costs, which I can't imagine it would be priced over $299. I just hope the Bold is released before the iphone is.

[CrazEtooN]

Originally Posted by salgonza

This was taken from theiphoneblog.com. Now, why would I get the iphone when the bold is Hopefully coming out this month. Huge Con here for the iphone.

That is not a con for former BlackBerry users, only existing iPhone users. BlackBerry personal plan is $30 a month for unlimited data and push email. That is all you get. For a BlackBerry user to transition to an iPhone, they pay the exact same thing and get unlimited data and Visual Voicemail. It is a lateral cost move, and it won't hurt any of us At&t BlackBerry users at all.

Add in a separate $8.25 a month and you get push contacts, push mail, push calendar, and 3 way photo syncing along with 20gigs of online storage.

Broken down:

iPhone = $30 a month for data/Visual Voicemail + a separate $8.25 for MobileMe (keep in mind that MobileMe is likely going to be a one time payment of $99)
-Push Mail
-Push Contacts
-Push Calendar
-3 way photo sync
-20gb of online storage for mail and photos

BlackBerry = $30 a month for unlimited data and push email
-Push Mail
-xxx.blackberry.net email address that is forever tied to your BIS account/BlackBerry devices

It is honestly a better deal on the Apple side...

The reason The iPhone Blog ran that is because all existing iPhone users pay $20 a month for unlimited data, 200 texts, and Visual Voicemail. The first iPhone was classified by At&t as a feature phone, and was on the feature phone data rates (MEdiaNet). The 3G iPhone is being classified as a smartphone and is on the smartphone data rates, which is $30 a month across the board for personal use (PDA Personal Plan, BlackBerry Personal Plan). This represents a $10 increase to all current iPhone users that upgrade, but to those of us on BlackBerry or PDA Personal plans, it is a lateral cost.