Is the day near when you will get music on your BlackBerry and email on your iPod?
The idea of an "AppleBerry" partnership between Research In Motion Ltd. and Apple Computer Inc. was floated early June by Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Capital Inc., who last year accurately predicted a partnership between RIM and Intel Corp.
Such a deal would have huge merit because each company lacks what the other provides. RIM wants a firm foothold in the consumer market and Apple doesn't have a presence in the booming wireless data sector, he said.
The two might jointly develop a new device: Apple could create a cellphone combining its iPod music device with RIM's wireless technology, or RIM might embed Apple's iTunes music into a future BlackBerry, he speculated.
Both companies found success by controlling the hardware that runs their software, which could prove a point of contention during any negotiations.
Indeed, a partnership between Apple and Motorola Inc. announced last year has yielded little because of efforts by each to control the hardware, analysts say. The two worked together on Motorola's Rokr cellphone, which stores up to 100 songs from Apple's iTunes on-line music store. But so far sales have fallen short of expectations.
As of press time, both companies declined to comment on the speculation.
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