There is one thing I will bet on and that is that the Bold introduction/sale will go MUCH better than it is going for the iPhone2! The iTunes site is in overload or crashed and even the stores are having trouble with activation. Many are just giving the phones to the new owners and telling them to try at home only to find out it can take a long time to get it activated. Most ATT stores got 20-30 phones and had that many in line, or more when they opened!

I am betting that this will not happen to the Bold!

Of course it won't happen like that for the Bold. There won't be enough sales and activations to overload anything. When iPhone 3G went for online ordering in O2 in the UK, their online ordering system went down because of the sheer number of orders. At points there were 13,000 per second as soon as it went up.

Every major release of something has had problems. Firefox 3, which is now in the Guinness book of world records as the most downloaded software in a day, had TONS of problems from overloaded servers.

I predicted this might happen because of such a high demand for it. I would not bet you money because you would win. There will not be as high a demand for the bold. Online ordering systems will not reach 13000 per second, and there will be nothing to overload. Bold will require capacity only slightly higher than normal ... but nowhere NEAR excessive like iPhone 3G. Anyone that bets money on your conditions is foolish. Most certain loss.

its will because there will be far fewer people activating phones...

really its not hard to figure out.

Wow you are smart!

The iPhone is a great device and suits some people's needs really well. I have never been one to get caught up in iPhone vs. Bold arguments, and today is no exception.

So why do I have this strange feeling of mild annoyance/irritation this morning when I see a bunch of front page news articles about people camping out for the new iPhone, activation problems, etc.?

I think it is the same feeling I have when I see people hysterically flock to participate in any new "craze" or "fad". I admire Steve Job's ability to generate this type of hysteria for Apple's mass-consumer products (i.e. iPods and iPhones, not computers). But it blows me away that so many people feel like they "have to have an iPhone" that, even when the economy here in the USA and around the world is in piss-poor shape, they are camping out for the priveledge of forking over a few hundred bucks to, in many cases, replace a phone that they have had for less than a year (i.e. their current 1st generation iPhone). Thank goodness for economic stimulus checks.

I have in the past, and currently, use some Apple products, including the latest generation iPod Nano. This particular device was also the subject of mass-hysteria-buying, and a huge amount of media attention, although not to the extent of the iPhone. When I watched Jobsy present the new Nano and say how amazing it was because it could play videos, I remember thinking to myself "Is this guy totally unaware of the fact that there are already a bunch of portable media players available that have offered that feature for a while now?". The Nano is OK I guess. It works well, but it isn't substantially better in any particular criteria than previous non-Apple mp3 players I have used. And in some areas, it is inferior. Society has made the iPod "iconic", and it really is a well designed device. But is it worthy of the media coverage, and mass-hysteria buying that occurs when a new version is released? I don't know.

Again, I have nothing against iPhones, Apple, or Steve Jobs. It is the media's and consumers' unmitigated, almost-religiously faithful gushing over this new product that irritates me. I still am not sure why, but I guess it has to do with the iPhone getting such an overwhelming amount of media attention, and consumer-worship, when it really isn't that revolutionary of device, and basically does things that other devices have been doing for a long time.

I am sure Numetheus will have something to say about this

At about 10am I drove by a ATT store in Jacksonville, on the way to an account. These people were baking in the sun! Looked like 40-50 of them! I have to admit that Steve did his job and I hope they are as good as advertised.

The real test will be how long the battery lasts with 3G. No way to know for weeks as too much playing would kill any 3G phone. I am hoping all the BB owners that got theirs will let us know how they like it!

I love you! Wanna hug?

Excitment around iphons and Ipods drive consumer spending. this will in time bring us out of an economic Slump!!

Ok im kidding but what the ipod and iphone does is bring apple more computer sales. I bet the numbers are stagering on how many people buy an ipod or iphone then later down the line start owning a Mac book or Imac.

Yes! The raves on the new iPhone software are stunning!

Best of the worst: the App Store's hits and misses - Engadget

The iPhone is something that everyone wants to be like. Go to pocketgear and search for the sheer number of software that tries to mimic the iPhone look, interface, functionality. Look at the sheer number of devices that try to mimic the device. Just about EVERY manufacturer is trying to create something "like" the iPhone or an iPhone killer, and this includes RIM. This is way beyond consumer-worship at that point.

How is iPhone NOT revolutionary. Straight from the dictionary:
The iPhone changed the way most new phones look, including how people interact with them. Before iPhone there were really no "finger-primary" phones. There was not as much a movement on desktop-like web browsing until iPhone came out, now everyone has improved their browsers to be better to compete with Safari. iPhone has shaped the future of phones and their capabilities, and is sought after and mimicd by everyone and yet still stands alone. Exactly how is this not revolutionary? Be every definition I have found, the iPhone is just that. Regardless of your bias against it, there is no denying that they have sparked a movement in touch screen devices.

Yup. I bet you are right. I know some people where this was the case. And why not, they are good products that work really well for some people. I prefer PC's (Lenovo ThinkPads to be exact) but I would never "diss" Apple computer offerings. They have great visual designs, and pretty much first-rate build quality. They are just a better solution for some people than others.

Apple makes great stuff, I just don't think that their offerings are so much better than other offerings that they deserve the media hype and consumer worship that they get. That's all. The masses, and the media, should realize that they are "workin' for the man" when they go nuts like this (and by "the man" I mean Steve of course)

No matter what there will be bad reviews on everything. I don't look at all of the negative commentary on how much BB sucks and make my mind on THAT. I love my BlackBerry for the good things, not because some people give their negative opinions. Most reviews are good ... some are bad. Its just part of life.

This is exactly what bugs me. Whenever I see anyone or anything trying to "be like" something else, it bugs the crap out of me "I have to have an iPhone because everyone else thinks they are cool". That sort of thinking bugs me.

Trying to "be like" something or somebody that everyone already thinks is cool is the safe and easy bet for people or products that don't have the "balls" (for lack of a better word) to try and be unique. It's what the boring kids at my high school did because they were too insecure to do what they liked.

Numetheus, I think you missed my point. I was talking about hysteria related to the 3G iPhone, not iPhones in general. The original iPhone WAS revolutionary. Everything you say above applies to the original iPhone. However, it doesn't really apply to the new one, which is just a speed-upgraded version of the original. Not much different than the 2nd year model of a new car, which looks and performs exactly like the 1st year model, but includes a few extra features, a new paint color, maybe a new more powerful engine offering etc.

I have no "bias" against the iPhone. But I do think people that religiously worship it (or any other consumer product) are a little bit strange

I have to admit that you have a positive attitude!

Sorry to be negative but have tried the iPhone and it was not for me. Not becasue it was not a good device, it was and had a great WOW factor but that is not enough for me when I need to handle 60+ emails a day in the field. The iPhone speaker was not loud enough to hear in less than quite locations. I remember my ear hurting from me pushing the device against my ear so hard to seal out only moderate noise. Cut and Paste IS important to me, vastly important and saves me alot of retyping.

If you will remember, i have always said there is more than enough room for both the Bold and the iPhone on this planet! I concede the iPhone is going to be the most popular consumer based phone to date!

I like we ALL have so many choices!

Yay for choices!!! I am just on my gadget jollies because iPhone 3G is out. But if history repeats itself (and it always does) I will be just as excited for the Bold. I remember when the 1st gen iPhone came out. I put my 8100 away, got the iphone. And when the 8310 came out I was all over that come release day. Now its iPhone 3Gs turn, and in a couple of months Bold will get its share of the lovin. LOL

I don't really worship anything except my Mom, because ... well, she gave me life. LOL. I am just getting my gadget jollies and when Bold comes out the jollies start all over again. Your right about other companies that "copy". And right now ... they are all doing it. INCLUDING RIM. That is why I am so against the Thunder or whatever the hell its called. It just shows RIM has no balls and is giving in to be like everyone else. Their time and effort SHOULD go to revamping the OS and its development tools. 4.5 is not a revamp ... its an evolution. The entire thing is still basically the same with a little facelift.

thank you, but it really means nothing from you.

Awwwwwww I think you are smart test54!!

LOLOLOLOLOL

Watching Greg slam his head into this one was hysterical. He couldn't have set it up better for you if he had used a tee.

Well it looks like we agree on something Interestingly, the very first thing I thought when I saw the Thunder was "If I was going to buy something like this, why wouldn't I just buy an iPhone?" LOL

Have a great day.

I am sure the obvious has been stated many times over.... Competition is good for everyone, especially the consumers. I can only hope the manufacturers can respond, though I must admit it's going to be tough replicating the Apple ecosystem. It's so intrusive, just like Google. How many of us now use Google, Gmail, GCal, GBookmarks, GNotebook, GCheckout, GDocs, etc...?

I didn't read below your post, so it's probably already been said. Anyway, no this won't happen to the Bold because there will not be near the demand for the Bold as there is for the iPhone 3G. I will GUARANTEE that there will be no long lines forming in EVERY store for the Blackberry Bold. I think the Bold will sell very well and I know it's going to be a great product, but it won't have the marketing hype like the iPhone 3G. I've never seen anything like the hype for this phone, and even if you don't like it, I think it does live up to the hype. I love Blackberry, but the iPhone is a great device.

LOL! I was not talking to you! Hahahahahahah!

Do not flatter yourself!

If only you would have read the "obvious" before you posted! LOL!

Yeah its been said. LOL. I won't bet money that there won't be problems with the Bold release, because ... well ... that will be silly. Its like he set it up knowing he would win. BUT I will bet that iPhone 3G sells WAY more units than Bold. Wait! Its like I'm setting this up knowing I will win! lol

It's quite simple really and it has to with the concept of human attachment. Humans suffer because of their attachment to various things- people, jobs, objects, dreams- things that they believe will make them ultimately happier in some immeasurable way. We all understand the falsity of this concept if we allow ourselves the time to consider it, but most do not. Will a new iphone really make anyone happier? Not a chance. Neither will the new BOLD or a even a new BMW really. Happiness comes from within and it comes from the way we internalize external events.

Apple R&D and Marketing together are exceptionally brilliantly at capitalizing on the human condition of suffering. Mindlessly ignorant robots line up for something that they are led to believe will change their life and inject them with some magically inspired happy gas that will make their lives better. It's not an accident- it's the confluence of intelligent design and BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF MARKETING. Watching a young kid who was first in line today being interviewed you could read the brainwashed message almost tattooed on his forehead- "I can't wait to go home and activate my iphone and visit the application store where I can download 500 applications for it, many of them for free!' WTF man! Is 3D Tetris and a calorie counter gonna change your life? Not a chance!

The inartfully stated moral of this tale is just to enjoy every second of life- be mindful of your actions, thoughts and words and live every breath as if it were your last. You don't need an iPhone or BOLD or Thunder or Lightening or Ice Storm to make you happy- but if you bought one then enjoy it and let others do the same!

See! I am not taking that bet unless you take mine! LOL!

I hope you have a great weekend you crazy Filipino and if you got you iPhone2, tell us what you think! I likely will give one a try except this time I will do it on an new line rather than my Blackberry line. It was a pain getting switched back over to my Blackberry from the iPhone!

By that frame of thinking then why even get a BlackBerry? I love my iPhone because it gives me more overall entertainment than any other phone. I love my BlackBerry because it can keep me connected better than any other phone. I'm buying the iPhone 3G because I am rarely at home, yet love to web surf and take all of my music with me. Being able to web surf comfortably and quickly makes me happier ... sure it does. Being able to play some really good 3D games makes me happier. You bet it does. Those things suck on a BB, thats why I'm getting my iPhone 3G. I'll be getting a Bold most likely because at work I type very long emails. And I HATE being tethered to my desk. So I will get a Bold for that.

I do daily...

if you do try one give it sometime, its quite different and does take sometime to get used to it.

Best post ever.

In particular this observation:

"Apple R&D and Marketing together are exceptionally brilliantly at capitalizing on the human condition of suffering. Mindlessly ignorant robots line up for something that they are led to believe will change their life and inject them with some magically inspired happy gas that will make their lives better"

This is exactly what was been bugging me this morning, and that I could not put my finger on!

I pretty much share your perspective on everything else you said. Consumer devices are mere TOOLS. They don't make you "cool", "happy" or anything else......just like the hammer in my toolbox doesn't make me "cool" or "happy". It is helpful for assembling things using nails....that's it.

The Media's constant hashing, and rehashing platitudes like "chicks dig the iPhone", only pushes the growing snowball down the hill faster. I can guarantee, that if you are the type of guy that thinks a hot chick is going to:

a) want to talk to you
b) go out with you
c) sleep with you

because you now have an iPhone, then you probably rarely experience any of the above

I guess the real moral of this story is.....let the masses midlessly do what they will....and unless it is going to put you or someone else in danger, don't let it bug you.

Yes, and when kids bring their school Macbooks home, their parents get interested in replacing their home PCs with Macs.

No ... that happens just by me entering a room and smiling.

lmao that great

Sweeeet! I always had to work for it a little Of course now I am married so I don't have the opportunity anymore (option "a" is still allowed I suppose). I hope you have a chance to go out and enjoy more than your new iPhone this weekend then....

Naaaaaaa ... I didn't get it today, but will tomorrow. This weekend is a night to go to the club with the gals ... but I told them I'm not going out Saturday so I can play with my new baby. LOL. Thats okay, there will be many more fun club nights.

LOL. Tough choices a man must encounter when it comes to technology and women.

Wirelessly posted

Naaaa not a tough choice. Women come just about every weekend. A new device release happens only once. The choice is obvious. I'm going to bed with my new iPhone tomorrow night.

Hahaha. Couldnt have said it any better myself

I said "the platform is not in my opinion a good target for developers of business-oriented applications". And I'm glad that you mention Office because that brings up a major issue that I neglected to mention but which buttresses my argument. Developers of business-oriented applications are not going to spend a lot of time on a device that is not going to be used much in an enterprise setting.

The iPhone will not get much play in enterprises because of its lack of (1) necessary security features, and (2) any form of centralized management. Security is the real showstopper but few IT departments will salivate at the prospect of supporting a substantial number of iPhones, just like they wouldn't want to support a bunch of Windows machines without Active Directory/Quest/Vintela, or an AIX cluster without PSSP/CSM, WebSphere without Deployment Manager, etc. Even the few unmanaged systems in an enterprise are likely to at least be provisioned in an automated manner.

Getting back to Office and security, setting aside completely the fact that most users don't have the masochistic streak necessary for attempting to EDIT documents on a phone versus simply VIEWING them, the very thought of people opening attachments I send on an iPhone scares me. Why? Because it doesn't encrypt content. Every BlackBerry in an enterprise deployment will likely have content encryption on (now that you can remote unlock the phones when they use it). So when it's lost or stolen, even if your admin hasn't been notified and remotely killed it yet, it will lobotomize itself before allowing someone to post your as-yet-unannounced financial results (or even worse -- use your imagination) to the Internet. The iPhone can't do that.

One last point... This is more general, because the camera automatically disqualifies the Bold along with the iPhone, but an awful lot of organizations (more than most people realize) toe the DoD line on device security either because they are required to (contract) or because it's generally easier and safer than defining all your own standards. There is a BlackBerry checklist that is a companion to the DISA wireless STIG. It's 134 pages long. A lot of that is procedural but all the technical measures are right there. RIM has been shipping FIPS 140-2 certified devices (OK, devices with FIPS 140-2 certified crypto modules for any nitpickers) for over five years now. My CAC works with my BlackBerry. The iPhone will never have these capabilities.

The bottom line is that the iPhone is a consumer device, plain and simple. That remains true with the new iPhone. Putting all the apps in one place certainly gives the appearance of a library that dwarfs that available for the BlackBerry, but it doesn't change the reality.

Wirelessly posted

That's all well and good, but the topid here is Bold or iPhone. I'm willing to bet that 90 percent or people having to make the choice are consumers. Enterprise customers will go Bold most likely. I'm getting one for work. But for consumers, BB and its apps lack horridly.