The iPhone doesn't get credit to be the first, as you said, but triggered the broad adaptation and therefore has the bigger cultural impact across many dimensions.
I also said:
> Sure, there have been bigger changes to society, like the web, like micro computers, like kitchen appliances or even the car. But the Walkman is probably the least discussed and least credited of them.
Plus those changes were still much larger than "dating apps", "review apps" and the other suggestions you raised :P
> The iPhone doesn't get credit to be the first, as you said, but triggered the broad adaptation and therefore has the bigger cultural impact across many dimensions.
Did it though? I cited several reasons why I disagree with that already:
- Android
- pre-existing feature phones with J2EE app support
- Android
- pre-existing PDAs
- Android
- pre-existing cameras
- Android
- pre-existing music players, like the Walkman!
- oh and had I mentioned that Android, RIM and others massively outsold iOS for years in Europe.
I'm an iPhone user myself so don't take this as biased view point. But iPhone took a hell of a lot longer to penetrate the European market than it did America. And we haven't even touched Russian, Indian or African markets. People on HN seem to forget that other markets exist and Apple weren't nearly as influential on them.
That's why I said "broad adaptation". These days there are situations where everone in a room is looking into the smartphone. So, the iPhone as a coincidental almaganation of already existing, maturing technologies happened to be in the right place at the right time to be considered as a historic turningpoint, without taking anything away from the pre-existing feature phones wiht J2EE app support.