RIM has already been hard at work improving the user interface.
iPhone style slide-scroll support. Multitouch capable screen. Time to look again:
Reference:
BlackBerry Sync Blog
It's also rumored that the UI is skinnable (think as massively expanded Plazmic or similiar that goes well beyond the main icons screen), including the appearance of the pop up keyboards.
And of course, BlackBerry "AppStore" clone in 2009, thanks to the $150 million developer fund that's already been announced. One stop shopping for software and themes.
Also, the Thunder browser is rumored to include a WebKit based browser, which is the same browser engine found in Safari, which is what iPhone uses.
I honestly believe RIM has done at least a little homework here... There's definitely lag behind iPhone, and may not be as good in all ways, but they are definitely copycatting some real useful features -- from what's leaked in blogs already.
At this stage the blogs are mostly-accurate, some corrections here and there -- but connect the dots between all things (The money thrown about, the obvious RIM targetting the iPhone in Bold and Thunder, the Verizon CDMA exclusive, the new RIM $150 million developer fund announced May 2008 as a response to Apple, the stock newswires, the blog leaks, implicit confirmation by insiders, the reprioritization of RIM internal developer resources towards Thunder contributing partially to Bold delays. Believe me, it's easy for a guy like me to connect the dots when you're paying attention to all these sources at the same time.
So expect: Multitouch, slide scroll, pinch-zoom, better UI, animations -- expect all of that in Thunder. Plus, RIM's answer to Apple's AppStore during 2009 or thereabouts to finally bring one-stop in-device software shopping to the CrackBerry experience. Yes, the
BlackBerry "AppStore". Honestly, I'd not be surprised if RIM manages to include it in Thunder at release time, as RIM is anxious to make third-party software much easier on a BlackBerry. But we'll see.
Many of my items in
my June 2005 post ("Mark Rejhon's Top 7 Most Important BlackBerry Requests for RIM's Growth Success") suggesting RIM improve consumer appeal, almost seems like it has become essentially part of RIM's business plan. Even if RIM has never read my post, that post seems pretty prophetic in retrospect - but they're just following market whims, and consumers are benefitting!
It's already clear RIM is defending their small expansion into the consumer market with all cannons blazing. Thunder is no iPhone, but the market-defending/expanding leap is very significant.