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iPhone vs BlackBerry: What the users love...
... and what they don't

By Natasha Lomas

Published: Wednesday 30 April 2008

A previous ChangeWave survey of enterprise smart phone users found the iPhone device beat the competition hands down on user satisfaction rates.

Meanwhile, the Safari web browser was top dog for five per cent of users surveyed, and visual voicemail did it for four per cent.

ChangeWave quotes an iPhone user deploying the 'R' word: "I love the iPhone. It is revolutionary. I love being able to jump on the internet, send email, get maps, weather forecasts, instant message, and make phone calls."

The biggest BlackBerry gripe (cited by 13 per cent of users) is the speed and quality of internet browsing on the device. There were also complaints about the size of the keypad (11 per cent) - with the big moan being that the keys are too small and cause too many typos.

For iPhone users the speed of the Edge device is the main complaint, with owners specifically bemoaning the lack of 3G - although this may soon change if rumours of a 3G iPhone this summer prove true.

A 3G iPhone - with its superior web browsing experience, coupled with the scheduled security and push email updates - may pose a fresh challenge to the BlackBerry's dominance in the enterprise space. Alternatively, if rumours of a touchscreen BlackBerry - with an improved internet browsing experience - prove true, Apple may need to find a new trick to challenge the CrackBerry.

According to ChangeWave, 3G integration is top of the wish-list for the next iteration of the iPhone (cited by 19 per cent of users). The lack of 3G is also giving would-be iPhone owners pause for thought, the research found: 11 per cent said they are waiting for third-generation network compatibility.

US users are also unhappy about being limited to carrier AT&T - a feeling of discontent that has also spread to Europe. And another grumble is the lack of copy & paste functionality.

Taken together, the BlackBerry and the iPhone are sewing up the US smart phone market, according to Tobin Smith, founder of ChangeWave Research. He said in a statement: "According to our survey, both Apple and RIM are in the process of overwhelming the competition. Each has a super-loyal cadre of users that fervently support their brand, and each has extraordinary room to grow."

He added: "The bottom line in this horse race is Apple and [RIM] are both giant winners, while the rest of the smart phone manufacturers lose."