You know me, I don't like to complain

RIM co-CEO sees no threat from iPhone | MacMinute News:

A story out of Reuters today reports that Research In Motion’s co-CEO said in an interview that Apple’s iPhone doesn’t pose any threat to the company’s consumer-geared BlackBerry Pearl.

This also in: Mercedes isn’t threatened by Porsche’s new Cayman.

Most of the time, these two devices couldn’t be more different. They are geared for completely different markets.

But I think it is very naive to think that the iPhone will not cannibalize the entire market that wants a media-rich device that is easy to use and elegant. The BlackBerry consumer line lacks the cachet of the iPhone, and always will without significant re-investment in a consumer line of devices, which RIM will not do or seems wisely unwilling to do. The Pearl line is supposed to be individual-friendly, and provide solid messaging for the masses. But their software is clumsy, their user interface passé and dull, or completely confusing depending on who you ask, and the complete lack of real media capabilities on the entire BlackBerry line will hamstring them in the consumer market.

To be more clear—I feel strongly that RIM knows full well that they cannot continue to make handsets forever. They know that need to get out of the hardware business, and focus instead of infrastructure and software to move email the way they do.

Every other competitor they have is going this route, and they are going to start winning with more variety in devices. If RIM plays this right, they can continue to dominate the mobile email space without lifting a single handset above their heads.