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Study Finds iPhone Twice As Reliable As BlackBerry
An anonymous reader writes "As reported at TechCrunch, 'The iPhone is twice as reliable as the BlackBerry after one year of ownership, a new study by SquareTrade finds. SquareTrade, which sells extra warranties for cell phones and other devices, looked at the failure rates of 15,000 phones covered under its plans. The malfunction rate for iPhones after one year is 5.6 percent, compared to 11.2 percent for the BlackBerry and 16.2 percent for the Treo.' The full report (pdf) can be found at the SquareTrade site."
I have and carry both a Blackberry for work, and an iPhone because I wanted something that wasn't under the control of IT overlords. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who carries a Blackberry in the default plastic holster and drops it onto the floor at least once every few weeks... and it's got nothing to protect it from that dive. My iPhone, however, being my personal property, does get better care. It's usually in a case in a pocket, and only small portions of its surface are directly exposed... I'm not surprised that iPhones fail less. People take far better care of them.
Not to mention that most Blackberry users have devices paid for by their employer. The majority of iPhone users buy their own phones.
Regardless of who bought it, which would you spend more time protecting? Your personal entertainment device that lets you listen to music etc. or the virtual servant bell which forces you to check your email regularly out of hours and which few people use for personal calls.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
While no denying your comment, I doubt many companies like yours would be using extra warranty services like this. I am sure SquareTrade's statistics only includes those insured by them - most likely individuals and small businesses.
So the abuse by enterprise users likely does not come into these figures.
Oh, good grief; not you, too?
Neither iPhone model has stereo speakers. It's not a dead speaker, it's the fricking MICROPHONE.
Regardless of who bought it, which would you spend more time protecting? Your personal entertainment device that lets you listen to music etc. or the virtual servant bell which forces you to check your email regularly out of hours and which few people use for personal calls.
In all fairness, modern BlackBerry handsets do audio and video. Mine even has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Many also come equipped with cameras (although people who need to go places that don't allow cameras can get ones without). It's also good for surfing the Web, and although it comes equipped with a pretty decent mapping application, Google Maps is even better. As for personal calls, well, I really just don't enjoy being on the phone that much. But if I was somewhere away from home and I needed to make a phone call, I imagine pulling my BlackBerry out of my pocket, dialing a number, and holding it to my ear would be the simplest way to do it. Why wouldn't I?
What's more, all modern BlackBerry handsets have an Auto On/Off feature. If you're really so concerned, have it switch itself off at 6pm and come back on in the morning.
Breakfast served all day!