We've had these devices with which we interact by swiping, pinching, and tapping (and now talking) since 2007. We've forgotten how revolutionary the whole concept was when it was first introduced. I still watch parts of the '07 keynote to remind myself from time to time.
Many didn't understand at the time how the iPhone would impact smartphones and computing, and they bashed Apple's efforts (Steve Ballmer and Jim Basille included). They pointed out that the first iPhone lacked many basic functions and features that other phones had, and that was totally correct. But what they missed entirely is that the user interface of the iPhone was so fundamentally better than what the competitors offered, that the lack of functions didn't matter. The functions would come in time, and be layered upon an incredible foundation.
My first mobile device was a Palm Pilot, followed by a Toshiba eGenio PDA, and then a Motorola Q, before I bought an iPhone 3G in 2008. The previous devices were great in their own rights, but they felt like squished down, slow PCs with features stripped out. They worked and accomplished a lot, but they were NOT a pleasure to use. If I had a dollar for every time I had to pull the battery due to a freeze...
The iPhone felt like something else entirely, something new. I remember the first time I tried one in an AT&T store. Aside from the innovative touch UI, the OS responded in a fluid way that masked the fact that a computer was behind it all. Even though it "did less" than my Q, I wanted one immediately, and I wanted to drive my car over the Q.
