Macworld's Peter Cohen reports that ABI Research analysts Philip Solis and Stuart Carlaw are insisting that by any reasonable definition of the word "smartphone," the iPhone isn't one -- because it won't support third-party apps.

"It turns out that this device will be closed to third party applications," Solis says. "Therefore we must conclude at this point that, based on our current definition, the iPhone is not a smartphone: it is a very high-end feature phone."

And Carlaw says that just won't be enough for most users. "Consumers will not be willing to settle for a second-rate cell phone just to have superior music," he says.

But according to Silicon.com's Jo Best, Solis and Carlaw are still geeky enough to covet one, admitting that the phone "is nifty in design and has some high end capabilities"...

More here from Computeractive, and ABI's press release is here.