Is Rim the new Microsoft?

The graph says it all. Far from denting the Blackberry maker's stock, RIM has actually outpaced Apple's massive surge since the iPhone announcement at the beginning of the year.

Windows 3.1 was shabby compared to the original Mac OS, but businesses liked Microsoft because its very absence of polish made it seem less like an indulgence.

Bottom line: Rim is the Microsoft of the business cellphone market, and there is a lot of money to be made there. The iPhone is years ahead of the Blackberry, but its presence creates context making Rimm's the business device and Apple's the consumer one.