Unless Mr Sacco is an "Apple Fanboi" who automatically assumes everything by Apple is just better, most of these points here do not make sense or seem valid.

How does iTunes and Safari make the iPhone better?
Those are gimmicks, and there are many alternatives that one could use if one is inclined to do so.

The Blackberry store has tons and tons of very useful "apps" for all its devices, so saying the iPhone is better because it integrates with iTunes Apps is misleading.

WiFi? In the US unless you want to use the device mostly around the house there is no reason to use WiFi. The whole point of these devices is to be MOBILE. As in going out and about. And for that only 3G will suffice.

Disappointing and obviously jaded article from CIO.

The iTunes store has a much wider variety of programs which are designed with a much friendlier to use interface. Think of the number of developers out there working on iPhone/iPod touch apps and they're freely accessible via the store.

The Safari browser is the first mobile browser that isn't a pain for me to use. I agree that this is another great feature.

Finally, Wifi is a factor, because I spend 85% of my time blanketed by Wifi. Why not use that bandwidth when downloading apps, music, or posting photos online? Yes the 3G network will work great, but why not have the speedboost when you can get it?

I just returned my LG Dare (which I truly enjoyed) today and can't wait to get my hands on the Storm!

As for iTunes, I can't stand it! Never could! On my PC, when buying, Amazon is the way to go. However, Verizon's software for media files (purchasing, syncing, burning...) is much nicer than iTunes. (And WHY on Earth wouldn't Apple make the iPhone compatible with stereo bluetooth headphones??? Aren't they the creators of the iPod?!)

As for the Qwerty keyboard, Storm has it all. They offer THREE types of keyboards. Thankfully RIM was thinking of folks like me who do not like their Blackberry keyboard, or Qwerty keyboards. They also offer a normal cellphone keyboard. Nice!

Oh, and the Storm is coming with an 8 gb card! 9 gb out of the box! No extra cash! Very nice!

OK, the idea that non changeable memory can possibly be better than interchangeable memory is ridiculous. If you don't want to change your memory, then fine. The storm COMES WITH 8GB! you do not need to do anything. However, if you want more, how do you do this with the iPhone? For those who don't want changeable memory then they can pretend the storm doesn't have the card. That's like saying the non changeable battery in the iPhone is good for people who don't want to mess with the battery. JUST DON'T TOUCH IT!

Four points come down to preference: iTunes integration (and the app store), safari and iPod interface. I don't care for any of these. The existing blackberry store as well as crackberry.com's store offer the one-stop shopping, but the blackberry does not restrict other channels.

Thus, the only points for the iPhone that are valid are its wifi and the fact that the first one sucked so they needed to release a new one. The second point is weak, though, because the major improvement was the 3g network, something which the storm already has. This also makes wifi less of a point as well, since the storm is on the verizon network with a mandatory data plan.
Verdict: Buy a storm unless you NEED to have an apple product.

Thanks for the comparison! I've been looking for something like this and I think you did an excellent job. I've been holding off on making a decision until I can get my hands on both of them and compare firsthand. I am still on the fence, but here are the factors that have me leaning toward the Storm:
Battery - my frends with a iphone who use it constantly have to keep charging their iphones. Storm has a battery that I can switch out. Very important.
Memory - Apple is very cool with 8GB, 16GB, and now 32GB models. Truth is that I most likely will not need 32GB of storage, but I said the same thing when the first 20MB hard drive came out in the early 90's. I like the ability to upgrade, or even switch out mememory.
Network - I've had AT&T before and they are growing their network, but I live on the oustkirts of the city and I KNOW Verizon has blanket coverage, so while it is not perfect, I have more signal stregnth in more places.
Quad-Band - it is truely a world phone. I have friends who have had to "jailbreak" their iphones to get them to work on different international systems.

I get so pissed off at the phone makers exclusive selections of either AT&T or Verizon!!!

Will the i phone ever be available on Verizon??

The deal breaker for me is AT&T.

Perhaps for a personal phone however this being CIO.com, without a truly functioning Central Management Console (like the Blackberry Ent. Server) the iPhone will never be an enterprise class device. I.T. needs the ability to restrict apps and remote wipe ability for stolen and lost phones.

I can just see the day when a Fortune 500 exec loses theirs and someone plays within in an Apps and approves a huge PO that was supposed to be rejected, or other critical ability that our BB's can perform.

Jerry & Denphoto,

My wife has a iPhone (1st gen) its jailbroken and uses Verizon.

In the rush to publish something, anything, about the Storm, we have an article based on "only a few minutes using the device." How disappointing. This does little to increase the credibility of the author as a trusted advisor.