And The Keyboards Have It

This really should not come up as such a surprise, especially from the folks at RIM. As RIM’s CEO states that people are just “done” with touchscreen keyboards, one has to consider the source. Now this is not to say that he is wrong, but having this CEO claim his position as fact is about as grounded as claiming people prefer the operating system I use over what the bulk of the marketplace is currently using.

Let’s revisit reality for a moment:

• The iPhone is a sexier device overall than the Blackberry. Despite the Blackberry being more widely accepted than the iPhone with many IT pros, the fact is that it does provide a more “computer-like” experience.
• While the iPhone certainly means getting used to a touchscreen, I would not necessarily claim that using a Blackberry keyboard is all that natural. In the end, it just depends on the user.

So here is where it gets complicated - I prefer the Blackberry overall. Yes, the iPhone provides a better web browsing experience and access to YouTube. But after that, I really do not feel that the value is there. I own a BlackBerry because of the BES/MS Exchange access I can get from practically anyone. Therefore, the iPhone will remain the clear winner with the average user while the BlackBerry will likely remain the king among most enterprise users in my opinion. Am I wrong?