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Comment by fromedome | Hacker News Reader

I'd say the key difference is that mainstream people actually download and use apps on the iPhone, much moreso than on other platforms.

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Except on other platforms you don't have to download anything, it's built into the phone. Check the Pre for a great example. IM should be integrated like email and SMS. BlackBerry typically has IM integrated in I believe, I know that's the case on T-Mobile at least.

I think SMS is used heavily by the consumer market, meaning folks who likely got an IPhone as their first smartphone.

The businness crowd on blackberries probably send quick emails more often than they use SMS or IM (particularly AIM)

T-mobile also charges IM's at SMS rates if you use the built in apps...

No they don't. I had the T-Mobile Sidekick for 2 years before the original iPhone came out. One of the best features of the sidekick was the AIM app. I used it constantly and it was totally free.

This may depend on the data package. The required data package with the Sidekick probably gives you unlimited IMing. On may last two T-mobile phones IM's and emails have both been charged at SMS rates when using the built in messaging apps.

The Sidekick data plan included unlimited SMS, but the AIM client still did not use SMS. (I had a Sidekick for 5 years)

I don't mean that AIM uses SMS to actually send/receive messages, rather that each IM is charged at the SMS rate (also each email sent or received via the built-in client is charged that way).

That's why, for example, it's cheaper to use T-mobile's $6 unlimited web access with Gmail's mobile app (which apparently uses http(s)), than to use T-mobile's email client and an SMS package. That of course doesn't apply to a phone with a required data/text package like the Sidekick.

It depends on the phone you're using. That is correct for most feature phones (not smart phones).

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