Next Monday Apple is set to launch the next step in its war with the mobile phone manufacturers by unveiling the iPhone 2, but Apple’s new competitors aren’t actually concerned. In fact, quite the opposite; companies such as Palm and RIM are welcoming the launch of the iPhone 2 as they believe it will renew interest in the market, even though Apple plans on selling millions of its product worldwide.

Mike Laziridis is the CEO of the company Research In Motion, who manufacture the industry leading mobile phone, the BlackBerry.

The way I look at it is there are 1.2 billion cellphones out there, and we’re just scratching the surface.

Steve Jobs will be making a keynote speech on Monday during Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference, and is expected to announce the iPhone 2 during his speech.

Dubbed the “BlackBerry killer”, the iPhone 2 is set to have features such as 3G networking and exchange support. It’s expected to be the phone that many potential buyers of the first iPhone have been waiting for.

The news that Apple’s competitors are welcoming the release of the iPhone 2 are not just bravado either, as sales of the BlackBerry actually jumped by 38% after the launch of the first iPhone. It does seem that Apple’s success has breathed new life into the market.

The iPhone’s effect on the mobile phone market has been very similar to the iPod’s impact on the MP3 player market. Apple practically created the MP3 player industry when they released the iPod, and now they’re rejuvenating the mobile phone industry in much the same way.