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Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by zmmmmm on Friday October 04, 2013 @07:50PM (#6498778)
> The iPhone was a success not because it was the first, but because it was the first really usable device

This is both true and a horrible rewriting of history. People loved their Blackberries. The term Crackberry was invented before the iPhone was even a rumor. And don't tell me it wasn't mainstream, it had taken over most of the business and government market. It was confined to those markets, but within those huge markets it was utterly mainstream. But even before that other people loved Palm devices.

The capacitive touch screen was a clear advance - but don't tell me there was no "usable" device prior to that.

Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by breakupapp on Friday October 04, 2013 @09:17PM (#6498999)
I think people were addicted to being connected, not to the device.
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by snowwrestler on Saturday October 05, 2013 @11:41PM (#6503011)
Yes. I had a work-issued Blackberry and while the constant connectivity was great, it was really only usable for email, and device itself sucked.
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by rmrfrmrf on Saturday October 05, 2013 @02:00AM (#6499609)
BBM was what people loved. Have you forgotten about Blackberry's nubs and balls that constantly broke/got stuck? People dealt because that was the state of the art at the time.
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by philwelch on Saturday October 05, 2013 @01:53AM (#6499588)
Suits loved Blackberrys. Not normal people.
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by ewoodrich on Saturday October 05, 2013 @02:02AM (#6499619)
I could type faster on my Blackberry Curve (a consumer targeted device) than my current Galaxy Nexus or any iPhone/iTouch touchscreen (plus I could literally type a full message and send by touch-typing, without any doubt as to what I was actually doing without looking at the screen).

I admit I prefer the button-less form factor in many respects, but boy do I miss that well-designed tactile keyboard.

Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by parasubvert on Saturday October 05, 2013 @11:37AM (#6500969)
I had a BB for about 8 years (1999-2007) before moving to touchcreens with the iPhone, and I can't actually go back to a physical keyboard - it's too slow! I can type way faster on the touch screen now. Though you do need to pay attention to your auto-correct.
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by Peaker on Saturday October 05, 2013 @09:16PM (#6502699)
Even with Swype/Kii keyboards?

I find they're quite fast!

Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by ewoodrich on Sunday October 06, 2013 @04:49AM (#6503546)
You probably can type faster than I can using Swype/Kii/etc. But for whatever reason, I do best with tactile feedback.

(I use a Das Keyboard for the IBM Model M "clicky" experience, and hate my laptop or other keyboards after getting it. I completely understand that I may be in the minority, but regardless, I loved the response of my Blackberry keyboard).

Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by afterburner on Saturday October 05, 2013 @05:05AM (#6500063)
Blackberry's were sought after by status hungry students and later by BBM-addicted students.
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by philwelch on Saturday October 05, 2013 @05:09AM (#6500074)
Business students?
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by afterburner on Sunday October 06, 2013 @04:17AM (#6503508)
Any university student, and later even high school students (as Blackberrys got cheaper as they started to be in bigger and bigger trouble).
Re:And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ by ZeroGravitas on Saturday October 05, 2013 @07:31AM (#6500365)
In the UK it was ordinary kids who were emulating American rappers who were emulating businessmen (or so the story went).