The Man Who Swapped His iPhone For A Blackberry
8:11 am, February 10th, 2009, Giles Turnbull
Yes, it’s true. There is a man who swapped his iPhone for a Blackberry. In some respects, I greatly admire Ben Ackerman. Not because of his choice of smartphone, but because he was brave enough to own up to his change of heart in public. Not many self-confessed members of the “giant Mac fanboy” club would be prepared to do that.
But Ben has. He prefers the Blackberry, as he explains in a slightly contradictory post on his blog.
I say “contradictory” because Ben is clearly caught between a rock and a hard place. He’s the first to admit that the iPhone:
(a) is “prettier”
(b) has better apps
(c) and better web browsing
… but he *still* prefers the Blackberry. Why, Ben, why?
Because, it seems, the Blackberry is (in Ben’s opinion), simply a better mobile device. It does things you’d expect a mobile device to do, like, you know, MMS and copy-paste. The basics. That’s what it does, and it does superbly: the basics.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the iPhone doesn’t appeal to Ben and many thousands of other people. It’s because Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Jonathan Ive and the rest of the Apple gang just don’t consider “basics” to be part of their remit. They leave basics to everyone else. Their products go above and beyond.
So, two questions for you:
(1) Do you agree with any parts of Ben’s argument?
(2) If you ever ditched your iPhone for a Blackberry (or, God forbid, your Mac for a Windows PC), would you have the guts to say so in public?
Posted by Giles Turnbull in News, Opinions, Top stories, iPhone | Comment on this article
What jumped out to me was that the onboard speaker was loud. I have an iPhone 3G (and love it) but there are things that I hear other people can do on their phones, which disturb me. After all I will pay at least $1000 over 2 years for the “privilege” of owning this phone, while I can’t send MMS.
I can’t say I’ll switch, but it’s good and refreshing to hear someone is willing to … COMPARE the iPhone to other phones out there. Yes, there are other phones.
Sean, on February 10th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I have a blackberry. I have a macbook and a macbook pro, I buy iLife updates, iWork updates and I recommend mac to anyone and I have many followers. My best friend owns an iphone. Although it looks good, so do certain newer blackberry’s. Yes, the browser is better on the iphone. Yes it is very nice, but my berry provides me with multitasking (twitter always running in the background, other apps too), messaging is fabulous compared to any other pda I’ve ever met (and believe me, I have bought and sold lots of them) and it is very reliable. And oh yeah, it works fine with mac. For me, the blackberry offers the same level of productivity to a pda as a mac does to a computer. If you can follow me….
Servaas, on February 10th, 2009 at 8:24 am
I’m not ditching my iPhone for a BlackBerry any time soon, but no MMS and copy/paste _is_ a pain in the butt, and just a bit sad, too. Guts to say so in public? Sure. But seriously, if a Windows PC was able to entice me into ditching my Mac, it would be a pretty astounding PC from both a hardware and OS standpoint. I’m hard pressed to see that happening.
Chris Maxcer, on February 10th, 2009 at 8:32 am
I had an iphone 3G but couldn’t stand all the dropped calls and crashes, and yes along with the lacking basics. No copy/paste, picture messaging, video capture…? c’mon apple! so i switched over to the Bold. I am sorry to say that I am more satisfied with this purchase. the iphone is a great phone but im afraid that the Bold beats it in my respect. it has more capabilities and is faster and more responsive, its a more professional phone with all the business capabilities vs. the iphones “ifart”. It’s just a better phone for me.
Rob, on February 10th, 2009 at 8:50 am
i agree with his argument, but apple would really have to piss me off to get me to switch phones.
and i would probably keep the switch to a blackberry on the hush hush.
bilski, on February 10th, 2009 at 8:51 am
I agree that people should be free to purchase and use any device they choose.
What seems to escape many people is that the iPhone isn’t crowded with “basics” in large part due to the fact that these “basics” can be had on the app store, mostly, free of charge or at a nominal price.
Apple allows the user to decide what is “basic” for him or her without straddling with them with things they may never use.
Apple gets plenty of flak for being a “closed system” that deprives consumers of necessities by not including them in their products. In the end, it is the consumer who decides what they can and cannot live without.
SkateNY, on February 10th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I work in film production, the iphone is nice for things like pulling up storyboards from an email, comparing references to an onboard camera monitor etc. But I have decided to keep a blackberry, for now at least, and use an ipod touch for everything else. Yes I know its nice having both in one package but the truth is, as of now, the Iphone is a great device but a horrible phone. My girlfriend and many of my coworkers have Iphones, it is very difficult to maintain phone calls with them and everytime I use their phones to make a call for whatever reason I realize how superior the audio quality is on the Blackberry. Oh and copy/past, and MMS is nice too
.
Spence, on February 10th, 2009 at 9:33 am
1) Yes, I do agree with some parts of his arguments. It’s the little things that count a lot of the time, so why doesn’t my iPhone have MMS capability, or copy and paste functionality?
2) Yes I would have the guts to say it… But at this point, I can’t see that happening. Despite the problems the iPhone is a great device and my iMac is a great computer. =D
Duality, on February 10th, 2009 at 9:33 am
While I’d never ditch my Mac for a Winblows box, I’ve avoided taking the plunge on iPhone because of something VERY basic: AT&T. Right now I have a standard, garden-variety cell phone from Verizon. It’s served me well, and even reaches remote areas like my house in the PA Poconos. I fear ATT will not get me where I need to go. I’ve never like the battery issue, and I’d like to be able to have options for alternate services, particularly when I leave the country. iPhone doesn’t offer those options. My Verizon Wireless plan contract expires in May, and I’d like to upgrade to a smart phone going forward. But all things considered, I’ll probably be sticking with Verizon, which means no iPhone option for another year or two.
Thomas, on February 10th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I have a Blackberry and an iPod touch, that way I have the cool things about the iPhone and, in my opinion, a much better smart phone.
Mark, on February 10th, 2009 at 10:04 am
I have heard the iPhone 3.0 will have things like copy and paste and MMS. Be patient. Apple listens to its customers and changes things. We see evidence in all of the FREE software upgrades we get on a semi-regular basis. There is nothing more exciting than buying one of the best phones on the planet and then months later it does more because Apple decides to do something great and add it to your already purchased phone. Location services w/o GPS, Wi-Fi iTunes (later 3G), App Store… they listen, we receive.
Bret, on February 10th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Why do people still insist on using MMS when email is free with the unlimited data plan? MMS is so 1990s, let it go.
Shabbis, on February 10th, 2009 at 11:35 am
MMS and Copy/Paste is a bizarre notion of what constitutes the “basics” of a mobile phone. The basics of a mobile phone IS MAKING PHONE CALLS. And Apple’s phone experience is peerless.
Being able to touch a person’s name to call them, being able to dial a phone number without using QWERTY, and being able to type a text without using a numpad is what truly sets the iPhone apart.
Bob, on February 10th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I went from a BB 8830 to an iPhone 2G. There are some aspects I miss. I’d like to turn e-mails into calendar events and to-do’s link to the e-mail. I’d like to be able to run more than one app. at a time. Until apple allows background third party apps. to perform notifications then the iPhone can’t be all that it could be.
On the other hand, having a smartphone, like the iPhone, that just works with my Macs is something that I can’t ignore. The iPhone WWW experience, applications, and media handling is just too good to ignore.
Would I revert? No way. The Storm isn’t the answer either. I guess I’ll just “suffer” with my iPhone until they address the BB’s limited advantage in the areas I’ve mentioned above
Jazz1, on February 10th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Over 5% of the human population is so mentally disturbed that they need to be put on medications or kept in a safe padded room for their own good.
It does not surprise me that one of them sold his iPhone and bought a Blackberry. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
Al, on February 10th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
My iPhone can send picture messages. I just send them to people’s cell phone email addresses from mail. Not a problem.
* T-Mobile: phonenumber@tmomail.net
* Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobl.com
* AT&T: phonenumber@mms.att.net
* Sprint: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
* Verizon: phonenumber@vzwpix.com
* Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com
Of course, I never use this, because most of my friends use an iPhone or a Blackberry, so they can just read email or look at online galleries.
Jeff, on February 10th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Um, this is not surprising. Blackberry has a GIANT share of the smartphone market (like half). Apple actually shrunk quite a bit since its hyped up iphone launch, whereas Blackberry has just kept getting bigger. Why? Because Blackberry can do most of what Apple can do and vice versa, but Blackberry does the things that matter most (to most people) considerably better than any other phone, plus you can choose your carrier with Blackberry whereas you are stuck with AT&T for Apple’s iphone. Substance always (eventually) wins, and Blackberry is a rock solid phone and secure mobile platform that has actually started to add pizzaz of its own over the last few years.
Bill, on February 10th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
One size shoe does not fit everyone. Neither, probably, would everyone define “The Basics” the same way. My previous phone was a Palm Treo. Without a doubt, my iPhone 2G serves my needs much better. Where I live, it works as a phone just as well as my old Treo and its ability to handle a huge address book better than the Treo and providing for visual voice mail, is a huge plus. However, its largest impact on my life has been to provide a mobile web client and to enable me to read the tons of email I get daily when I am traveling. Probably because I don’t need to use SMS or MMS to get my work done, I don’t consider them to be “basic” to my needs.
While on occasion, I have thought a copy/past function would be useful, the reality is that lack of this feature has never hindered me in any significant way, whereas the applications which are built into the iPhone (with the exception of SMS) I wind up using on a nearly daily basis.
On the other hand, if someone determines Blackberry-style email is what they need to get their work done, then of course a Blackberry is a better option for them. Debating whether one agrees or disagrees with their choice seems utterly pointless.
james Downward, on February 10th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
We have quite a few people at my company who are switching from iPHone to Blackberry. The reason why? IPHONE DOESN’T PLAY WELL WITH NOTES/DOMINO. Yes, there are still lots of people out there who use Notes and Domino, large, Fortune 500 companies to boot. So, when will we get push calendar, push e-mail, push contacts, and remote wipe, like our Exchange using brethren? Instead, you have to find some goofy way to synch, like install an app that syncs iTunes with Outlook or Entourage, and then have that running on your PC/Mac, and make sure notes is running, oh, and have your IT group open some ports in your firewall so you can sync back to your PC, and then pray your office doesn’t have a power outage while you’re out using your iPhone, it’s maddening!
I truly believe that if Apple wants to completely take over the smartphone world (at least in the corporate enterprise realm) they need to make it so that it plays better with other enterprise level collaboration services. I mean, you think they would have done that before they acquiesced to Microsoft. . . .
Jonathan, on February 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I went to a new job and they gave me a Blackberry. Compared with my iPhone it was like going back to the 1980s. It was SO unusable that I gave up after 1 day and put it in the drawer and paid for my own calls using my iPhone.
You talked about the basics. What about basic usability ? The BB looks like it was designed by a committee.
If they had insisted I use it I would have quit.
(I was already stressed as they made me use a PC. And Outlook. I have left now.)
Gus, on February 10th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Bob says:
“Being able to touch a person’s name to call them, being able to dial a phone number without using QWERTY, and being able to type a text without using a numpad is what truly sets the iPhone apart.”
Sorry, but these things set the iPhone apart from what? My Windows Mobile-based Touch Pro phone does all that (of course), and as much as I don’t like some aspects of it (and yes, I find the iPhone to be too limiting in terms of cut/paste and multitasking), I find it to be a decent device.
Bob’s statement sums up the typical Apple fanboy mentality nicely for me: many of you folks seem to have done more Koolaid drinking than actual usage when it comes to anything other than your beloved Apple devices. And that leads you to somewhat silly statements like “Being able to touch a person’s name to call them…is what truly sets the iPhone apart.” I think you actually believe that only Apple does things like that.
Mark, on February 10th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Yes, I agree 100%. I keep on hoping they will add “the basics” in the 3rd major software revision….
E, on February 10th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I don’t need MMS – it’s expensive and of limited resolution. Copy&paste will come to iPhone eventually. So, just that is not a deal-breaker for me. I still think that iPhone is the best smart phone out there.
Davor Pasaric, on February 10th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I tried the iPhone and went back to a BB. This is an amazingly simple way to put it; BBs excel at the basics. It’s a great phone and PDA to use. My web-browsing is limited to sports scores, currency exchange and some other light stuff. Also, mark/space’s missing sync is why I can use a BB and a mac without worries. Yes, the lack of copy-paste on the iPhone is an annoyance but not a deal-killer for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love what the iPhone can do and I’ve been a mac user for over 14 years non-stop for all my computing (business too) but I couldn’t live without one-touch dialing or touch typing on my phone. This is why I also bought an iPod Touch; to have great apps, true portable web-browsing and my music.
neto, on February 10th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
This proved one thing people loved email and not the net experience but how many of these posters here are telling the truth.. maybe all or maybe none.
Or times are so bad they can’t afford the data package anymore.
AdamC, on February 10th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I’m sure he’ll have to switch back when Mobile Snow Leopard comes to the iPhone in June or so. I can see where this guy is coming from. If he needs certain features, then he should use a mobile device that accomodates him. The iPhone will get these features, I’m certain, but until that time, go with the BlackBerry. Be thankful for choice.
Constable Odo, on February 10th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Yes, I agree with Ben’s views and I also admit that I’ll gladly switch to a competing device whenever they’re launched in my country. The iPhone is pretty to look at but the lack of basic features (sms and contact forwarding and running multiple apps at the same time does it for me) is really annoying.
My 5 year ‘el cheapo Nokia does things that the iPhone can’t and I think Apple should be ashamed of it.
I really should have bought the ipod touch and a better phone.
I’m waiting for the Palm Pre and better android based devices.
Sharninder, on February 10th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
seriously, iphone 3g is a nice phone. haveing alot of apps, especially mms can be installed now trough appstore or by pwning your iphone 3g. you can use your iphone also as a wireless webserver and more. really pretty! In apps invincible!!!
but now seriously there is a problem. The cost for the iphone is very high. considering not haveing even as unblocked, it costs tomuch for a swiss person useing another carrier than those witch have tobe used! For that price also i would rather prefere a 5mbpix cam than a 2mbpix and i would like also a 2mbpix cam infront for webcam chating! And i would rather prefere a mms option allready integrated. And the bluethoot enabled! Specialy to interchange pics with friends on a non iphone product! This whas all missing on the iphone. And for the last, also the processor of the iphoen whas weak. It was limited to 220 apps. Thats why i selled my iphone to another person and used that money to buy another product, greetz
iacob arsenaios, on February 10th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
MMS … don’t care. Cut-and-paste … don’t care.
The ability to seamlessly and effortlessly sync my data between 3 different devices and my web mail … that is what really matters and Apple does that incredibly well.
crosswiredmind, on February 11th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Man do I hate all this bitching and whining from people. People, go buy whatever the hell you like but whether you love it or hate it… keep it to yourself!
the Dude, on February 11th, 2009 at 7:44 am
If the Palm pre is all that it offers in the unveiling of it, I think that would the smart phone to change to. From the look of it it beets all of the smart phones on the market today including iphone (and i have one) and the blackberry.
Auchegal, on February 11th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I’ve been selling mobile phones for 10 years and now that Best buy offer the Iphone; it’s the first phone I ask every customer to consider. These are the main reasons why people have not bought the Apple phone. Business users need exchange server and support for e-mail attachments. Tweens want mms and video recording. Some people don’t like the fact that the battery is internal and/or no upgradeable memory. No one has ever complained about cut and paste. I keep asking myself is this why blackberry palm symbian and pocket pc are murdering Apples phone sales and that they have less than a 2% market share? Their hardware is more than capable to do these basic functions. Get with it Apple I really want you to do better.
david, on February 11th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
This is the kind of post that made me stop reading C.O.M. for a while. It’s short-sighted and disturbingly fan-boi-ish (and I’m one to say!) Saying that something is ([clearly]) better while lacking “basic” features, and more importantly to suggest that the “basic” features don’t much matter, is ridiculous. The reverse argument has been used in SUPPORT of Apple many, many times. Many of Apple’s products may not have the bells and whistles of other competitor’s products (think: how many times has Apple introduced something breathtakingly intuitive and well-though-out in its basics, but lacks certain bells?), but the important thing is that they usually get the BASICS right. The iPhone has the basics right in most areas, but (to be specific) MMS and copy/paste ARE basics and are sorely missed and cripple the usability of the iPhone in many circumstances. It’s like having an electric guitar with 1,000,000 effects built in, but with only 5 strings.
goosesensor, on February 12th, 2009 at 12:55 am
if you lack MMS in your iPhone, it means your friends’ phones lack good email client and/or mobile access to internet.
i’ve used copy and paste on my nokia maybe twice or 3 times in my life. without full qwerty keyboard, it’s faster to write something than copy & paste.
i’m not a ctrl+c/ctrl+v lover – the reason is maybe the fact that on my unix desktop, i don’t need the feature as it’s copying to “clipboard” while highlighting texts.
however, i believe apple will have copy & paste soon.
o2, on February 12th, 2009 at 4:24 am
Ipods are a cult god damnit and Ben knows what he’s doing!
Anthony, on February 12th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Well, there’s a bunch of reasons I’ll swap my iPhone for a, say, Palm Pre:
http://www.venera7.com/27-11-2008/why-we-iphone-users-are-better/
Javier, on February 12th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Well, I think everything is so much simpler. Choosing a smartphone shouldn’t be a fashion trend impulse to grab immediately what’s new and cool. Instead of doing this, one should carefully consider it’s own LIFESTYLE (meaning also it’s communicational needs) and see what particular type of smartphone SUIT best these needs. It is exactly as with digital cameras. I am a photographer and people keep on asking me: “what type of camera should I buy?”. And I keep on giving them the same answer: “What’s your ultimate purpose of using a digital camera?”. So, iPhone is excellent for me. It does everything a smartphone should do to suit my lifestyle and my communicational needs. I waited 1 (one) year to buy one iPhone and I did that only after I made sure this tool is what I need. And guess what? It is exactly what I need. But it is perfectly fair and correct to assume that other types of smartphone are much suitable for other types of lifestyles. It’s simply like that.
Cristian, on February 12th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
I switched to AT&T and the iPhone and have never looked back. Indeed, with cellular radios and 802.11g Wi-Fi, the iPhone is the very best cellular smartphone/portable computer I’ve ever used. While AT&T does have a weak 3G network in some (perhaps many) local areas, connectivity has systematically improved with each passing month in and around our Sacramento, California home coverage area. So the knock against AT&T depends on your location…And no cell phone comes even close to matching the marvelous interface and ease-of-use of the iPhone’s Mobile OS X operating system. None. There are reasons why every carrier and cell phone manufacturer on the planet are rushing to copy the iPhone. Sadly, the copies are lame.
HD Boy, on February 17th, 2009 at 12:17 am
I’ve had a Blackberry. Ditched it for iPhone. Job requires me to go back to a Blackberry. It’ll stay in my briefcase. How bad is life when a Blackberry is the answer to anything? MMS? Ridiculously limited service, constrained by technology. In future e-mail, twitter, tumblr gives far better functionality. Cut & paste on the iPhone, in theory, is a gap. But honestly? Never notice it. And Blackberry cutting & pasting is hardly user-friendly. Camera? Fine for purpose. If I want to take good photos, I use a camera. iPhone’s are for grown ups! iPhone’s basic genius? Most of the time the keyboard isn’t needed, so why let it restrict your screen size? And everything works and interacts intuitively.
John Harding, on February 17th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
honestly. the iphone is a trend.
be seeing yeah in another one.
mrted, on February 18th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
The only major fault I have with the Iphone is that its speaker stinks. For some reason the speaker on the bottom that plays when you have no headphones is incredibly loud but the one that is next to your ear is very faint. Trying to hear someone talk in any mildly noisy environment is near impossible, unless you have the earbuds.
Chris Peterson, on February 19th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I have several Macs at home, and I love the iPhone because of the syncing capabilities between those computers and my phone. MobileMe is far from perfect, but for someone like myself, it makes syncing contacts, calendars, notes and bookmarks incredibly pain-free.
I’m not going to begrudge anyone who thinks a BB is a better fit for them. I personally find the whole BB experience to be one of masochistic hoop-jumping and submenus of sub-menus. But that’s me. Everyone has their own opinion, and if someone likes a BB better than the iPhone, then more power to ‘em.
Now, If someone thinks the BB is better because of arbitrary missing features like cut & paste and MMS, then shame on Apple for hemorrhaging customers over something so small. I’d like to have both, but it’s not something I’d switch phones over. But again, that’s me.
Will, on February 20th, 2009 at 8:29 am
I have a lowly 8330 on Sprint and I love it. My sister has an iPhone, and I have helped her install apps on it and she uses the camera, she is pretty computer illirate, but can use her iPhone with ease. I have Three email accounts on my Blackberry (a Personal, a consultant email address, and my work Address on the BES), and they all work seemlessly.
I agree that it depends on how you use the device… My sister needs something that helps her compete with her friends. On that note, I dont agree with the sellout factor of the iPhone… The BB I use is responsive and easy to use, albeit hard to find what those little tweaks that make it more custom, but once its set you dont ever have to mess with it (or want to).
On Browsers: While Safari is cool, mobile opera and mobile firefox compete and therefore have some interesting features that can make them surpass Safari by far in the future, once we catch up with Japan in the Cell phone arena the skies are the limit! Apple stifles competition in their app store and doesnt easily allow other browers in it (are there any available at the time of this post?), so we will not see huge innovation brought on by competition, but by foreign coders that work for apple.
Jon, on March 13th, 2009 at 8:06 am