Could iPhone Overtake BlackBerry Market Share In 2011?

Forbes.com seems to think so. Over the past couple of years Research In Motion and Apple have seen their share in the global mobile phone market increase. This is likely due to the fact that everyone now believes that they need a smartphone in order to make it through the day (and I would have to agree). For a while, RIM has been the leader in market shares, but Forbes.com says that Apple has been closing this gap and will eventually overtake RIM as early as 2011.

Their reasoning for why such a catastrophe could occur is actually quite sound. The end of AT&T's iPhone exclusivity will allow the iPhone to be sold at more carriers and will lead to a larger distribution. Apple also offers more services and products than BlackBerry, which often makes it seem more attractive to consumers (Mac computers, iPad, iTunes, large number of apps).

At the end of the day, this will probably be the truest test to uncover the real BlackBerry addicts and the #TeamBlackBerry imposters. But then again, RIM is making a lot of progress in the area of making their devices more appealing, exciting, and user friendly to its customers. This could be enough to keep everyone interested and continue to attract new customers. Who knows, RIM might keep their lead, especially with the redevelopment of the BlackBerry OS and the upcoming WebKit browser. Ultimately, this will be an area of personal choice and preference. Sort of like deciding between Apples and oranges BlackBerrys...

What's your take on this? Does Apple really have a chance to overtake the market or will RIM remain on top? Leave your comments and let us know what you think.