> Someone in 2006 asked what Apple would bring to the cellphone market, too.
And that would be a fair question. The iPhone never did anything others weren't already doing, nor has Apple ever done that in recent history. They sell products not because they're better, but because they've convinced people Apple is cool.
> They sell products not because they're better, but because they've convinced people Apple is cool.
That's not why I buy Apple products. I buy them because their build quality is impeccable, their software for the most part "just works" (ok they've gotten worse in this regard lately), and all their stuff works together. Having date move magically between my devices without doing anything is really compelling.
You seem to have confused not paying attention with nothing happening. The carrier relationship was completely different for iPhone users, starting with how you didn't need carrier approval to put something in the App Store.
I think you underestimate how bad the competition has usually been. Apple is bad but the competition is usually terrible. Tech stuff has always had a pretty low bar, especially for actually working without a huge amount of sysadmin.
And that would be a fair question. The iPhone never did anything others weren't already doing, nor has Apple ever done that in recent history. They sell products not because they're better, but because they've convinced people Apple is cool.