Apple's iPhone replaces BlackBerry for some bankers

(Reuters) - British bank Standard Chartered is replacing the BlackBerry, currently its standard corporate communications device, with the iPhone, a move that could eventually result in thousands of bankers switching to the Apple device for business communication on the go.

Standard Chartered bankers in Asia told Reuters that the London-based lender was giving its corporate BlackBerry users the option of switching to the iPhone, with the company agreeing to continue to pay monthly billing for business-related telephone and data services.

"It's a group-wide initiative involving wholesale and consumer banks globally," said a Singapore-based spokeswoman for Standard Chartered, told Reuters. The spokeswoman declined to be identified due to company policy.

The process of migrating corporate email services from the BlackBerry to the iPhone started about a month ago, said the spokeswoman, although she did not know how many of the Asia-focused bank's 75,000 employees used company-issued BlackBerries or when the switchover could be completed.

Read the full story at Reuters by Kevin Lim and George Chen

The Collapse Of Microsoft's Mobile Business

"Microsoft finally showed off its newest mobile platform this week, Windows Phone 7 Series, which is set to ship by the end of the year. In any event, for Microsoft, the new product can't come soon enough. After an early lead in the U.S. smartphone war, Microsoft has lost much of its market share and almost all of its relevance, as BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and Apple's iPhone have taken over."

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How Apple Can Beat RIM

While Apple is the smartphone technology leader, it is not the sales leader. Importantly, it's still trailing BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. This is a platform land grab, so sales and market share count.

"This isn't because RIM is selling to corporations while Apple is selling to consumers: RIM says 70% of its new subscribers were "non-enterprise" last quarter, and consumers are now half of its total subscriber base. RIM and Apple are largely going after the same customers, meaning many BlackBerry buyers are choosing RIM over Apple.

How can Apple improve its position?"

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iPhone Trumps Storm In Customer Satisfaction

Owners of the iPhone 3G were more satisfied than BlackBerry Storm owners, but RIM is well positioned for the next quarter, according to a report. The touch-screen BlackBerry Storm has helped Research In Motion (NSDQ: RIMM) on the sales side, but a new report from ChangeWave said customers are more satisfied with Apple's iPhone 3G.In a survey of 4,000 U.S. cell phone owners, 77% of iPhone owners said they were "very satisfied" with the device. By contrast, only 33% of Storm owners said they were "very satisfied" with their handset. Additionally, 14% of Storm owners said they were "unsatisfied" with it, while only 5% of iPhone owners said the same.

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iPhone 3G overtakes the RAZR as best-selling domestic handset!

Joshua Topolsky of engadget writes:

"According to a report from NPD, sales of cellphones have shifted in a manner which should shock and stun even a casual observer. Apparently for the first time in years, Motorola's ubiquitous RAZR has been overtaken in consumer sales... by the iPhone 3G. This is a watershed moment for handset sales in the US, marking not only a shift away from the dominant market leader, but a turn towards more complex, full-featured devices. The news comes hot on the heels of NPD's previous findings, which still placed the RAZR in the top spot -- though with ever-decreasing numbers. In that same report, the iPhone found itself in second place, but it appears that flagging interest in the inescapable dumbphone coupled with the recent iPhone PR blitz have put Apple's moneymaker into the top position. The news is also buoyed by recent reports that Apple has overtaken RIM as the number two smartphone vendor, and a J.D. Power study which found affection for the device waxing in the extreme. Overall, however, handset sales fell 15 percent year-over-year, and LG managed to snag the top brand position, with two models in the top five. Still, if there already wasn't a clear indication of the market moving towards both smartphones and touchscreen devices, this should give everyone a clearer picture of both the public's wants, and the power of Cupertino's ad-men."

See the full press release by clicking on this link.

Apple iPhone Sales Surpass RIM's Blackberry

Though Apple's live broadcast of its fourth quarter earnings doesn't start for another few minutes, they've already dumped the numbers on us. Here are the important ones: 6.9 million iPhones, 2.6 million Macs, and 11 million iPods. Wryly noting that "we sold more phones than RIM," Steve Jobs says they're still not sure how the recession is going to affect them, but whatever, bitches, they've got "$25 billion of cash safely in the bank with zero debt." We'll be following the call live in the post below, in case any other news breaks—like the death of the Mac mini. Update: Steve is on the call, says that iPhone is now 39 percent of their business, Apple is now world's "third largest mobile phone supplier."

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Attack Of The iPhone Killers

"It's like a scene from a bad horror movie. Samsung and Research in Motion are among the companies trundling down the steps into the basement. And down there, waiting for them, is Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and his chainsaw collection. Dudes, don't go down there. 

Apple's easy-to-use, media-friendly gizmo has cut deeply into the smart phone market. Six months after putting out the iPhone last year, Apple had seized 26.7% of the U.S. market in the final quarter of 2007. The assault was put on pause--with Apple dipping to just 19.2% of the market during the first quarter--as Apple reloaded with a faster iPhone. After it goes on sale July 11, however, it's going to be a long, hard year for Apple's rivals."

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