BBAdmin, you bring up some valid points and I would like to add a few comments and get your thoughts:
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Originally Posted by BBAdmin
40% of the corporate world uses Exchange - of that 40% only 25% run Exchange 2K3 which is a pretty small group. As time goes on more will upgrade, but a jump to 2K3 is a big step for most.
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25% of the current corporate market running Exchange 2K3, with more on their way, is a small group?
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Originally Posted by BBAdmin
People forget the devices are a lot more expensive than a RIM device
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Currently, yes the devices are more expensive. However, in time, with the onslaught of new devices by multiple carriers, prices will go down. Moreover, with companies like TechFaithWireless (techfaithwireless.com) offering turnkey solutions out of China, and driving cost out of the Handheld supply chain, how long do you think it will take for competitors to achieve Blackberry prices? Do you think RIM will be able to maintain approximately 70% of their earnings from proprietary Handhelds?
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Originally Posted by BBAdmin
...not to mention they'll take a bit more of user support from the IT dept than a BB will, and if you're going to consider costs, you must include these elements such as time supporting users.
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Very true, initially there will be a learning curve. However, as more plug/play solutions are developed, and not only by MS, support requirements should decline as well. Although I don't speak from personal experience, I imagine early pioneers who adopted RIM's Blackberry 950 around 1998 devoted a fair amount of time supporting end users.
My initial rant was simply referring to the often asked question, "Is RIM a hardware or software company, or perhaps a bit of both". More importantly, how will this soon-to-be, hypersaturated, corporate e-mail market shape the answer to that question? And by no means am I narrowing my scope to MS--there are some very interesting products in development that could chip away at the total market as well:
www.funambol.com (open source push e-mail)
www.emoze.com (free push e-mail in Beta)
Bottom line, I look forward to seeing the competition and the advancements that are made through competition. Whether or not it redefines RIM, we shall see.