An articulate and very accurate analysis there Rob, I agree wholeheartedly

We have a similar scenario here. One of RIMs principle UK carriers here in the UK _was_ o2. o2 were initially getting all the RIM exclusives but since they became the sole carrier for the iPhone, that relationship appears to have soured. The iPhone is so horribly over-exposed here that I do think the Storm is going to struggle to make the same impact. The market perception seems to remain as:

iPhone - consumer
BlackBerry - business

.. and never the twain shall meet. I have been using a BB as a consumer device for years now, the way it's presented and marketed is still relatively poor (as you clearly state).

Do I think the Storm could be better than the iPhone? Quite possibly but until I actually get to play with one, I can't tell you. I will however report back once I have had a proper trial with one