The pair are coming from totally different trajectories in this fight. Microsoft is growing slowly from a position of zero, riding mostly on Nokia's overly colourful hardware. BlackBerry's star is falling and bleeding market share. The history of companies fighting Microsoft is that once a downward momentum is achieved, it’s impossible to recover. That’s partly because of the nature of business and the increasingly desperate moves of those in a terminal velocity, which creates a tail-spin of short-term measures that disorientates the victim. Also, it’s a comment on the tenacity, focus, resourcefulness and sheer quantities of cash Microsoft has thrown at development, marketing and the distribution channel. If you want a lesson in history, look to the decline and fall of Novell, Borland and Palm.