Canaccord: iPhone isn't hurting BlackBerry

The launch of the iPhone 3G have had no tangible impact on BlackBerry sales, according to a new research note by Canaccord Adams. Group analyst Peter Misek notes that the announcement of Apple's device on June 9th still led to BlackBerry maker Research in Motion enjoying a breakthrough the same month, with both sales and real activations of BlackBerries understood to have climbed between 20 to 30 percent.

Despite the launch of the iPhone this month, those increased numbers are expected to remain steady or increase by as much as five percent, Misek says, adding that there has been "no adverse impact" on the BlackBerry since the July 11th iPhone release.

He declines to predict what if any effect the iPhone may have in the longer term or how well RIM's imminent devices, including the Bold and the touchscreen Thunder, will fare against their immediate competitor.

Canaccord's release contrasts sharply with a Needham report from just the day before, which argues that the touchscreen Apple phone is likely to cut into BlackBerry sales, altough the company's analyst Charlie Wolf is careful to say that RIM's emphasis on business phones won't necessarily translate into a "zero-sum game" where the success of one usually comes at the expense of the other. Apple typically focuses on individual users rather than large-scale corporate purchases.

Filed under: iPhone
Other story tags: BlackBerry, iPhone 3G, Research in Motion, Bold, Thunder