Blackberry vs. iPhone: The Never Ending Feud

By Phelix

Ever since the Iphone came out in January of 2007 it seems to have dominated the cellular scene but for those diehard BlackBerry fanatics, the iPhone is just another opponent.
The iPhone, a touch screen masterpiece was put on the market on January 9, 2007. It has many functions, including a camera, text messaging, Ipod, web browser, e-mail, Wi-Fi connectivity and, of course a phone. The idea for the development of the iPhone came from Apple CEO’s Steve Jobs’ inquiry into touch screen technology. Since the unveiling of the original iPhone , Apple has come out with three more models including the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3Gs and the iPhone 4. With each model the iPhone upgrades it’s software and it’s capabilities. For example, the newest addition to the iPhone family (the iPhone 4) is able to videochat via the phone with a software called Facetime. Apple says of it’s product, “While everyone else was busy trying to keep up with iPhone, we were busy creating amazing new features that make iPhone more powerful, easier to use, and more indispensable than ever. The result is iPhone 4. The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone. People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality.”

BlackBerry, a line of smartphone devices, was developed and designed by Research in Motion (RIM) in 1996. Each BlackBerry device is supposed to function as a personal assistant with address book and calendar capabilities. It supports music and video playback and can be used as both a video and still camera. One of the things that Blackberry devices are known for is their ability to send and receive e-mail and Internet data wherever network coverage is available or through Wi-Fi connectivity. However, each BlackBerry is mainly one thing, a messaging phone. BlackBerry has the largest array of messaging features in any smartphone today including auto-text, auto-correct, text-prediction, multi-language support, keyboard shortcuts, txt emoticons, push email, social networking, BlackBerry Messenger, and threaded text messaging.
Now, here’s the question. Which phone, the iPhone or the BlackBerry, is more generally liked by our generation? I asked some people my age and this is what I heard:

Question: If you had the chance to choose an iPhone or a BlackBerry which one would you choose and why?

Henry B. (iPhone Owner): “I love my iPhone. For one, I really like Apple products and own a lot of them. I like the ability for me to connect my phone into everything I have in my house that is Apple. I feel like Blackberry’s are supposed to be for business men in their 40s, which I am neither. Also, I’ve heard that John McCain helped create BlackBerry, and whether that is true or not I wouldn’t want to support him. I just think that the iPhone is overall, waaaaaaay cooler.”

Amy D. (BlackBerry Owner): “I was drawn to the Blackberry because of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) and the real keyboard. I’m not big on touch screen phones.”

Juliana R. (iPhone Owner): “I love the iPhone’s touch screen and the sleek design of it. I find it much easier to navigate than any BlackBerry.”

Lara L. (iPhone Owner): “I have an iPhone, and I love it. All of my friends have them but it was a difficult decision for me just because my entire family has BlackBerrys. The iPhone is really aesthetically pleasing as far as the way it runs. It’s like a miniature computer, for example the internet looks exactly like it does when you are on an actual computer. Another thing that I like about my iPhone is that it doubles as my iPod, allowing me to carry less. The only thing that would make me interested in the BlackBerry would be BlackBerry Messenger. The people that I know that have BlackBerrys all say that BBM makes texting so much easier. But on the other hand, Apple’s advertising is very appealing to a lot of people which helped me make the decision to get an iPhone.”

Amelia: (BlackBerry Owner): “I, for one, hate AT&T, which automatically makes me lean towards the BlackBerry. Other than that, BlackBerrys has been around longer than iPhones and, from what I know, they were created for business men. These things make me think that the BlackBerry is more reliable than the iPhone because it was built for organization and has had many years to update and add on to their original model. I also think that the Blackberry is more sturdy, and harder to break.”

Kevin M. (iPhone Owner): "Through this BlackBerry and iPhone feud a broader concept has arisen. Cell phones are an extension of identity for this generation. Tech savvy kids debates over which gizmo is cooler. But what it boils down to is what is newest. New things are cool. iPhone users defend their identity with a fiery passion because the iPhone "revolutionized" phones, it is more than a phone. It's media service. Games, music, video, etc. and all with fantastic quality. BlackBerry users are stuck up on the fact that it is the business phone, whatever that means. BBM is a joke. I still don't know what is so cool about it. And the BlackBerry's versatility is limited."

Janea H. (BlackBerry owner): "The only reason that I have a BlackBerry is because of BBM and because I really don't like touch screen phones."

I then asked people who own neither a BlackBerry or an iPhone and got these replies.

Mary T.: “If I could, I would choose the iPhone. For one, my parents have it and from what I know, they really like it. The touch screen is really cool to me and also having a phone, iPod and camera combined would be really convenient. I think another thing that makes me want an iPhone is that I know and have heard so much more about it. Maybe if there was more advertisements about BlackBerrys I would feel differently, but right now I like iPhones.”

Abby C.: “I would choose the iPhone if I could. But the thing is that I already have an iTouch and it would be an iPod overload to have both an iPhone and an iTouch. In that respect I would have to choose the Blackberry. Plus it’s better for texting.”

Lucy C.: “I like the BlackBerry. It does pretty much all the same things as the iPhone does except it has BBM. Also the iPhone seems a lot less sturdy and easier to break.”

Personally, I have a BlackBerry and love it. I had an iPhone before and the only thing that I did not like about it was the touch screen. It’s easier to type when you can feel buttons, and having no buttons was awkward and inconvenient. On the other hand,
the thing that I really loved about the iPhone is the amount of space it held for media. It made my music experience a lot easier.

According to the opinions of the ten people I interviewed, the outcome is 4:6, with the winner being the iPhone.