And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

This time it's Brian Caulfield running down the street naked, screaming the names of ancient deities and throwing saltwater taffy to the kiddies, in the name of Forbes. Now, to be fair, you have to have a minimum level of street cred to write for the big "F". So I don't want to just say that the man is a dork, but it does seem like they should raise the bar over there. That is if they can remember where they buried it.

In fact, I'm not going to call him a dork at all, now that I think about it. I'll quote him.

"The iPhone is a monster."

"Its sleek, wide-screen display – uncluttered by an ugly chiclet-style keyboard – is ideal for surfing the Web or watching video."

"... while the keyboards sported by RIM's BlackBerry and Palm's Treo are ugly, they're ideal for users addicted to e-mail rather than the latest installment of Desperate Housewives."

The whole article is here. It's a quick read. What it lacks in depth and breadth, it more than makes up in its laconic length.

Condensed version:

1. The iPhone is really cool.
2. The BlackBerry, Treo, and others are NOT really cool.
3. The iPhone will take business away from BlackBerry, but not all of it.
4. Apple isn't going to kill RIM.

Analysis:

1. Duh.
2. Duh.
3. Duh.
4. And BMW isn't going to kill Kia either. What the hell is the point of that observation?

After clearly stating the advantages of the iPhone, Brian says it has shortcomings it doesn't have. Then he says the shitty keyboard and dinky display on the BlackBerry are better for email addicts. No. They are only better for dinky-display-and-shitty-keyboard addicts. He quotes another analyst who wants a good price for his RIM stock when he sells on Monday, "The iPhone touch-screen is not as optimal as the BlackBerry interface for e-mail." Technically, this is true. "As optimal" would be "equal." The iPhone touch screen is actually "better" than the BlackBerry interface for e-mail; not "equal."

Then he drags out the old "oooh it's too expensive," bugaboo again. How far out of touch do you have to be not to know how utterly debunked that old saw has been?

The article seems to have the point that Mr. Caulfield has to provide a minimum character count in order to receive his regular stipend.

One more thing, Brian: The iPhone is going to take A LOT of business away from the BlackBerry. How much? Who knows? I'll bet half a roll of Tums RIM isn't going to appreciate any of it.

Time to throw another log on the fire.