Originally Posted by
BigD00d iPhone is good because everything's kinda limited in what you can do, so it's 'easier' to use(much like the iOS system. I'm not insulting it, it's made to be more simplified, and less customizable, on purpose). Blackberry has a bit of a learning curve, but you're able to change the layout, Blackberry themes, etc. etc.
If you had to lay out a chart between 'proprietary' and 'open-source' it would be:
Apple(closed-source, Apple controls everything except illegal cracks/jailbreaks) - > Blackberry(proprietary OS, but you can customize pretty much everything a normal and power use would want too) -> Android(Android is Linux. So you get all the inherent strengths/weaknesses of it[Buggy, lack of updates for certain versions/phones, OS diaspora as people futz around with the OS])
Things iPhone are good at:
It looks shiny - Apple is really good at making you want their products. They have the whole 'you're part of a community' thing going on. Isn't that the goal of every company that sells products?
Apps - Apple has a lot of ap developers because, much like Android(Linux), there's a rabid, core base of supporters that program for it
Things iPhone is bad at(compared to Android or BB)
Messaging: BB has the best e-mail, hands down. It's their strength, and when I use BB my emails are quite literally on my phone the moment they drop into my inbox, whereas ANdroid/iOS they pop up anywhere from 5-15 minutes later. It's also easier to text/reply to emails/forward emails/etc. with a BB. Anyone that tells you differently either hasn't used a BB or is trying real hard to make APple sound better:P Remember until about the second or third iPhone you couldn't send picture messages, but BB could. I'm not sure if you know how to setup email on an iphone, but i'm able to get push email for my gmail/hotmail accounts. They also render better on the iphone (no truncated messages)
Keyboard: iPhone does not have a good keyboard. It's not horrendous, but it's nothing compared to a BB. This isn't even a matter of touchscreen/physical. The touchscreen keyboard on my Storm2 was easier to type on than an iPhone of the same approximate release(remember, storm1 and 2 are getting close to 2 years old, thats about 3 iPhones worth:P Try comparing the PlayBook keyboard to the iOS(it's better IMO), or the new touch-0screen keyboard on the all-touch blackberry and compare Personally i liked typing on my s2 (hated the clicking noise)
Productivity: Apple iOS is not designed for business. it's designed for play. That's why everything is sort of all bundled up on one screen. Blackberry allows you to find everything quickly, and organizes it in a way that helps you work faster and better. *chuckles* It's funny you say that i see a ton of bankers/lawyers using ios devices on the daily bases. Not to mention ios/android is killing bb when it comes to productive/business apps
Upgrades: The iPhone gets little to no software updates IMO when it stacks against blackberry. I enjoy the fact that they continued to update my Blackberry even when newer, shinier models were coming out. Blackberry's get updates quite literally up to the point where their hardware limits them to further advancement, and they'll even continue to push updates for older phones to boot. Apple has a notorious reputation for making you 'buy up' to get the newest OS, whether it's an iPad or a Macbook or an iPhone or an iPod. Ios receive far better support software wise than bb, it's not even close. Rimm just released os7 devices non which will be able to upgrade to qnx. Say what you want about apple at least ip4 owners will be able to upgrade their device to ios5
As to 'why is a blackberry better than n iPhone?' (it's an, not n by the way:P). I don't think either is 'better'. I personally hate Apple's ecosystem, and their general tight-fisted, money-grubbing policy towards apps and their software in general(see, Kindle cloud-player, since apple wants 30% of in-app purchases), and I find their phones tend to be more a sign of being 'in' than being productive/useful. Blackberry in general is far more low-key. People don't go 'Oh wow look he's got a Blackberry, he's so cool', they go 'Oh that guys on his Blackberry. He must do something important/be a hard worker/in communication with a job', because Blackberry is a business/productivity phone first and an entertainment phone second. There are a ton of over priced apps in appworld. You will find a lot of free apps in itunes/marketplace that gives more functionality than some of blackberry's top paid apps. Whenever i see someone with a blackberry i assume that they wanted a blackberry nothing more nothing less. Lol @ the thought of placing how important someone is by what device they use.
My opinion would be buy a Blackberry for use as a phone, and an iPod Touch if you can't live without apps:P