Yeah, I guess you could throw the iPod in there, though I wouldn't consider it nearly as earth shattering as the iPhone and iPad were.
See,
To me the iPod itself was the tipping point of modern tech.
not the iphone. Not the iPad.
up until the Ipod itself, modern technology and convergence was a geeky thing. Computers were nerdy. Why would your average person need to use a computer besides the basic, simple spreadsheet and document. You turned on your computer. you wrote your memo, you printed. you left.
This was the average computer use pre iPod era. You were a nerd or a geek if you did anything more. And nerds and geeks of that era were not held in high esteem. we were social outcasts.
So who before the iPod would be caught dead lugging around an MP3 player. everyone else just bought CD's which had music ready to go. Plop in the CD and listen. An MP3 player required a computer. It required the ability to rip CD's or have fast internet. it was purely in the realm of geek and nerd.
The iPod changed that. By changing the MP3 player and making it consumer oriented, and making it something that people outside of the little geek bubble wanted, computers, technology and the like took off at a record breakneck pace. People started to learn to use computers more in depth so they could get music on this sexy little device that could store hundreds of hours of music. The iPod was unobtrusive and pocketable, while also looking good. now, your "mom and pop" could and did want these things.
From there it was a new ball game. iTunes made music purchasing that much easier. which, because of the iPod became an industry changing event for music distribution. Internet itself caught up and surpassed what it was back then because finally people saw a reason for the internet other than managing their servers or reading a blog.
The iPhone and iPad were further extensions of the iPod that came before it. Everyone wanted a small sleek sexy MP3 player, and now everyone had one...
at the same time. Cell phones really took off. Now people were carrying two items around with them wherever they went. Cell phone and iPod. Apple, as well as other manufacturers saw the future was convergence, and it's been a roller-coaster ride of technological improvements since.
Like many of Apples other products, they weren't the first. They weren't the best. But they, under Job's saw a greater market, and were able to repackage them in just the right way to change the overall paradigm.
I have no opposition to Jobs been #1 on the list for Most Influential
Business Leader in the Past 25 Years.
there are many others who are just as worthy to be #1 as well. Nobody did their work in a vacuum and they all leaned heavily on eachother. The tech industry in particular often forgets, that what you develop today can only be possible because of what was developed before. "to stand on the shoulder of giants"