Not even Steve Jobs could have foreseen just how successful the iPhone would become.

Yes, it definitely had a major buzz amongst consumers, but the consensus always seemed to be that it would be just that: a consumer phone. Nobody would have guessed that it would take down the mighty RIM Blackberry, but that's just what happened, according to Canalys.

The company ranked Apple as the number two smartphone vendor on the planet, behind only Nokia. RIM was pushed to third, while Motorola pulled up in fourth place.

So I think now we can start the debate: where does the iPhone rank on Apple's all-time greatest product list? I would still put it behind the iMac and Apple II, but the gap is starting to close. The scary thing is that the iPhone is still very, very new to the market. If the iPhone continues to gain ground in the market, Apple could find in a few years that its mobile phone operation could be just as lucrative as the computer outfit.

08 Nov 2008