The other point is that it's not like the two devices/companies can't co-exist on the same planet. I think a lot of RIM users aren't really familiar with Apple and it's goals, so the assumption is that they're "moving in" on BB's territory. I don't say this condescendingly, I just think people jump to conclusions.

Apple probably has little interest in overtaking RIM's corporate advantage. Like they've done on the pc market, they just want a piece of the pie, to create a lucrative niche for themselves. Vice versa, RIM probably doesn't have any desires to overtake Apple in the consumer market, just grow their user base in that sector. That sector, I think we all agree, has a great amount of room for RIM to grow in.

Here's what the iPhone does for RIM: it makes owning a smartphone an option for lots of folks who previously wouldn't have thought of it. Not only that, but now that AT&T has changed the iPhone's rate plans, they now mirror BlackBerry rate plans. This means if people get accustomed to paying these prices for data, I can easily see more and more folks adopting BlackBerrys.