Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone Gets Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) Business, BlackBerry (NASDAQ:RIMM) Dropped

Deutsche Bank Equity Research (NYSE:DB) has dropped the BlackBerry (NASDAQ:RIMM) in favor of Apple's iPhone (NASDAQ:AAPL).

The decision was made after the company gave the iPhone a trial run using the secure email application from Good Technology.

Deutsche Bank research analyst Chris Whitmore said, "In aggregate, we found the iPhone UI was very usable and the touch-less vs. physical keyboard debate is a function of personal preference and perhaps ‘fatness of fingers.’ Versus the Blackberry trackball, the iPhone interface is vastly superior is terms of speed and accessibility and prioritizing key emails and we view the Blackberry trackball as archaic and cumbersome."

Deutsche also noted that the Apple App Store was a "huge competitive differentiator" during the trials.

Concerning the sale of iPhones and iPads, Whitmore said Deutsche is "modeling CY11 iPhone units of 67M and 30M iPads which we view as conservative in light of the upcoming Verizon launch, iPhone 5 and iPad 2 in the next 6 months. Apple remains a top pick and we reiterate our Buy rating."

For Research in Motion, it'll be a major blow if corporate customers flee the company and move to the iPhone.

Apple was trading at $339.28, up $1.83, or 0.54 percent, as of 1:37 PM EST.