I know the Androids and iPhones are great products on there own, but do you think the business image and experience helps kill sales to the consumer? Am I on to something or am I way off?
Answer:
Your first sentence is plausible; the last one isn't. I work with lots of young people every day (18-22 year-olds). Keyboards are extremely popular with this set. A good number of the phones are qwerty Androids of one sort or another, but it's clear to me that keyboards are far from dead.
I agree with the premise that the "business tool" image diminishes ("kills" is too strong) consumer interest. It creates a stereotype that says that BlackBerrys are "not for fun". A glance at the BlackBerry web site shows that they're trying to fight that stereotype. The current AT&T commercial for the 9810 in the US goes overboard in the other direction, depicting the BB as a device for slackers. But I think for most people, especially people who haven't used one, BB is perceived as a very button-down device.