Anyone with a fair bit of knowledge of patents?

So we've seen RIM been granted a few patents lately but it seems to take them forever to get granted. I saw that another fruit company got a patent granted almost exactly a year after filed for it. They seem to be all applying for technilogical patents so you would like to think they would take around the same time to get through. Why do some go quicker then others?(here is the link)

Not trying to start a war here, I know there has been a lot of hate on here for talking about anything but BB. I'm sure the mods have their eyes peeled for any nonsense.

in the patent application process there are a number of steps.. and one of the artful steps is carefully crafting the verbiage of the claim so as to a) be highly specific that it is a solid patent, but b) be general enough to be applicable to like applications and c) be worded such as to avoid confliction with pre-existing art and other patents.
It is not uncommon for a patent to be re-worded during the process, and if prior art/patents are brought forward, sometimes the re-wording of the claim is extensive.

Given the above, which already creates a variable timeframe from filing to granting, the amount of effort and zeal by the individuals involved in this re-wording activity is also variable.. and often the claimants are engineers who need to sit with the company patent attorney and educate & re-educate on the details involved , all while simultaneaously having a 'real" job to do ..

So, the larger the company and more the more focused on IP protection, then the larger the squad of IP lawyers and the better the support for the individuals in going through thesearching, filing, and refiling process.