For the past eight months I’ve been an iPhone user and during that time I’ve kept notes on the things that stood out most when comparing the iPhone to the BlackBerry. This post is a compilation of those notes.
I was a dedicated and happy BlackBerry user for close to five years prior to switching to the iPhone. I decided against jumping at the first iPhone for two big reasons: it was an entirely new device and I was already very happy with my BlackBerry.
When the iPhone 3G was released and I had heard reports of near-100% satisfaction from current iPhone owners, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. Two big motivating factors were having a camera phone (I was using a Blackberry 8700g at the time) and the ability to carry my music on my phone and get rid of my iPod. I hate carrying more than three things with me wherever I go (wallet, keys, phone).
Important BlackBerry email features that are missing from the iPhone
Being an avid email user, I immediately noticed several features missing from the iPhone:
- Mark as Read (without opening the email)
- Mark Prior Messages Read
- Search
- Copy and Paste (anywhere!)
Save as Draft Edit: A friend pointed out that a Save as Draft feature exists, and he’s right. They must have added this in a software update, because it definitely wasn’t there when I got the phone!
The above missing features are why I still steer business class users (at least those who intend to use their phone for receiving and replying to large volumes of email) away from the iPhone. It’s just not ready and it can’t compete with the refined email features of the BlackBerry. I’ve definitely changed my email habits and I reply to fewer emails from my phone than I did with the BlackBerry.
Touchscreen Interface
While contemplating switching to the iPhone, the on-screen keyboard was my biggest worry. However, when I tried a friends’ iPhone I was pleasantly surprised that software does a very good job of correcting any mistakes made while typing fast using the on-screen Qwerty keyboard. Although lacking the tactical feel of a real keyboard, it does its job exceptionally well for a touchscreen interface. Still, typing more than a few sentences is uncomfortable and the lack of saving an email as a draft makes typing long emails risky (the need to reference another email for information, etc.).
The all-touch interface was easy to get used to and it still amazes me how intuitive it is, even for the technically-challenged who give it a try. But the quirks that seem to come with every touch interface are still there. For example, to unlock the phone you need to press and slide a button across the bottom of the screen. Most of the time this works fine, but sometimes the interface will mysteriously be unresponsive and nothing will happen.
Heat-sensitive Touch Interface
The iPhone implements the same heat-sensitive technology as the iPods to prevent accidental key presses by anything but your skin. Most of the time this is really helpful for preventing accidental calls, but when your hands get really cold (shoveling snow, skiing/snowboarding, etc), the temperature of your fingers can actually drop below what the iPhone is expecting and suddenly you can’t even use the phone!
Applications
One of the strongest points for the iPhone has been the amazing success of the AppStore. The store is integrated with the iPhone and applications can be purchased and downloaded right from the phone. With over 10,000 applications there’s an application for almost anything. Some of the games are simply amazing and the huge variety of games means there is sure to be something fun for everyone.
With the BlackBerry, finding new applications was a nightmare (and finding a good quality, free applications was nearly impossible).
In Summary
In recent comment on HN, I wrote this comparison summary between the iPhone and the Blackberry:
As a former 5-year, very satisfied Blackberry user who switched to the iPhone 3G last June, I have this to say about the comparison:
For business use that requires lots of replying to email, management of large volumes of email, copy/paste functionality, and the possibility of integration with existing Enterprise systems, the Blackberry is a must.
If you mostly just need to read email and only occasionally reply, you have a moderate volume of email (< 30 per day), and you are more interested in a device you can have fun with on the train and use as a replacement for your iPod, then iPhone is perfect. The apps available on the iPhone are truly killer. Real, playable games that you can fully enjoy. Also, web browsing on the iPhone is beautiful -- sometimes I find myself using it in front of my laptop!
I've convinced both my boss and my manager NOT to get an iPhone and to instead upgrade their phones to either the BB Curve or Bold. They both thanked me afterward when they realized just how much they relied on easy email reply and the ability to "mark as read" multiple messages (come on iPhone!). The iPhone is definitely a more media-centric device, whereas the Blackberry has been refined for the specific needs of business users.
