Mac users have always touted the Mac OS as one of the main reasons
they use an Apple computer. There have always been and remain other
reasons, such as elegant design, build quality, and even
price-performance ratio, but it's the Mac OS that really makes a Mac a
Mac. Since 2006, the OS has become even more prominent as a reason to
use an Apple, as modern Macs use the exact same Intel processors as
many generic PCs, and Intel Macs can even be used to run Windows (very
well), natively and in emulation.
If it is the OS that makes Mac users choose Apple computers,
shouldn't that same OS X, in a more compact version, make Mac
users choose the iPhone instead of other smartphone models and systems?
The iPhone even shares some
of the Mac applications you already know and love (Safari and Mail) in
very near to full-featured versions. Things promise to get even better
with announced enterprise support including Microsoft ActiveSync to
enable iPhone users to synchronize with a Microsoft Exchange
server.
Why would any Mac user choose anything else?
Why do I have a BlackBerry 8800 clipped to
my belt instead of Cupertino's finest?
There are
some reasons that everyone has read about, chief among them iPhone's
exclusive tie-in the AT&T, but even taking the carrier out of the
equation, there actually are uses for which a more conventional
smartphone is a better choice. While a combination of my satisfaction
with T-Mobile's service and aversion to a new contract played heavily
in my decision to buy another BlackBerry (my third in four years)
instead of moving to an iPhone, there are other equally significant
reasons. Read on.
No Cameras
First, as an attorney practicing in a wide variety of state,
federal, and administrative courts, as well as government offices
located in secure federal buildings, there are many times when I cannot
bring any phone at all with me. Clearly in those cases, it doesn't
matter what system I use, as it stays in the car.
Where it does matter is in cases where phones are allowed, but
cameras are not. Many government agencies and corporations have similar
no-camera restrictions on their facilities, and Apple does not make a
camera-free iPhone. RIM always has at least one non-camera BlackBerry,
as does Palm with its Treo, precisely for this reason. I had to pay
extra and move up to the top model to eschew the camera, pushing my
BlackBerry right into iPhone price territory.
Synching with Macs
Palm, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and BlackBerry all synchronize with
Microsoft Outlook on a PC, as does the iPhone, but for Mac users,
iPhone and BlackBerry are the only options unless you buy a third-party
application such as Missing
Sync or PocketMac.
BlackBerry requires these programs as well, but RIM has adopted the
license for PocketMac, so Mac-using BlackBerry owners can install and
use the program for free.
Synchronization on a Mac is where there are tradeoffs. With an
iPhone, Entourage or Address Book and iCal data can be synchronized
easily. With a BlackBerry and PocketMac, iCal and Address Book are
fully supported, but the current 2008 version of Entourage is not yet
enabled. Clearly, if you use Entourage 2008 (as I do), the iPhone is
much easier. If you use Exchange, however, it works right now on a
BlackBerry, but you need to wait a few months for it to be enabled on
the iPhone, and we don't know yet if the ActiveSync software will be
cross-platform or Windows-only.
There is a workaround for BlackBerry users and Entourage 2008, and
that is to configure Entourage to synchronize with iCal and Address
Book, then everything will work using PocketMac. PocketMac is set to
release an Entourage 2008 compatible version about the same time that
Apple plans to update its iPhone software.
Pros and Cons
The iPhone is justly praised for its superior random-access
voicemail function, and for heavy voicemail users it's a major advance.
The iPhone also has the best web browser in the smartphone market and
arguably the best email application. Arguable, because usable mobile
email was introduced on the BlackBerry and has been improved with each
new version.
A modern BlackBerry, just like the iPhone, supports multiple email
accounts and can have custom settings for each of them. You can view a
unified inbox, separate account inboxes, or both, and you can view
almost any attachment with ease. It really doesn't have any feature
that the iPhone's Mail.app doesn't, but in the small-screen format I
just find it easier to use. Of course, I've been using BlackBerry mail
for four years, and that very likely plays a large role in my
preference.
Now, for my biggest reason for buying the BlackBerry: batteries. The
iPhone battery is enclosed and requires disassembly to replace. The
BlackBerry battery, which lasts about the same amount of time as the
iPhone's, can be easily replaced with a fresh one in a matter of
seconds. I keep a spare battery in my briefcase and have used it quite
a few times on long travel days. Yes, you could carry a charger, but a
spare battery is much smaller and lighter, and there are times
and places that you just can't get power.
Its safe to say that most Mac users will find smartphone bliss with
the iPhone and deal with frustration when trying to use anything else,
including a BlackBerry. Like adapting a Mac to a Windows environment,
however, a BlackBerry can be adapted to a Mac - and it works quite well
once in use. 
Andrew J Fishkin, Esq, is a laptop using attorney in Los Angeles, CA.
