So if that piece of junk in 2009 was $400 and nowhere near as good as an iPhone 3G... How much was one that you were comparing it to? The original iPhone was indeed $600 for the 8GB model that I got. My brother bought one later on at the cheaper price later in the year - I was definitely jealous. .
That iPaq, from what I can see, came out a few years before, and they were clearing them out by charging bottom rock prices for it, all companies do it.
The web browsing used crappy mobile sites and looked like absolute garbage - definitely not on par with the iPhone 3G. I don't even know why I'm bothering to argue with someone as jaded as you...
Can not read? I am 100% serious. Really.
I am in no way shape or form comparing my iPaq of the time to an iPhone 3G, Didn't I also say the iPhone 3G was were Apple really stepped it up and did something great? Oh yeah, I did say it was where they stepped it up, you clearly enjoy cherry picking, straw man arguments, or you just can't read and someone else is reading for you.
I have a very good understanding of said subjects. You are GREATLY overstating the usability and practicality of the iPaq's and other phones/PDA's/Pocket PC's you are talking about.
Hmmmm my Pocket PC had ....3G Unlimited Data....a web browser that was capable of displaying the majority of websites in their fullness, and yes admittedly it was stuck on mobile versions of sites a good amount of time.
Which would have been GOOD on the 1st iPhone because it didn't support mobile broadband, at all, AT ALL.
So, it had 3G data, video capable camera, which was the same MP, and looked about the same, but could do video which made it better.
It had Applications for download, the first iPhone did not have that, nor did it have intergation with web applications on any level.
You love to cherry pick. PocketPC's which I used for almost a decade, were very usable, they did their job very well. So, I know more about their usability than you do.
So, back in the day, my ipaq had, High speed 3G data, GPS, applications, voice activation, video capture, swappable batteries, talk to type, better support, I remeber the battery life being very good, it was easy to use, and got its job done. The ONLY difference being that it needed a stylus, or I just chewed off all my thumbnail so it was pointy, was Windows Mobile as pretty as iOS? No, but it performed just as well.
And the MP3 integration was a simple program with music controls, exactly like iTunes on the 1st iPhone was.
Apple did to the cell phone industry what they did to the MP3 industry. They destroyed all existing competitors by coming out with an integrated, high quality, simple and intuitive to use device, that did what it was meant to do effortlessly.
Yes they did, but they didn't do it with the 1st iPhone, they did it with the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The 1st iPhone sold slightly under RIM numbers, and sales actually ground to a halt until they gave in and lowered the price.
I'm not saying that the iPhone had the best or latest technology, but everything it aimed to do it did very well - and better than any others. It was also greatly future-proof as Apple kept rolling in outstanding features with iOS updates.
Yeah, the 1st iPhone was great, so great. That they had to bring out the 3G to make ANY progress.