Im not debating that wheels, the iPhone really did set the bar in terms of simplicity, and it helped bring smartphones to the masses, before it, smartphones were as you say, mainly something geeks picked up and used.
Ste, I far from hate Apple, I love OSX, it's a wonderful, if somewhat limiting OS, for instance. But I do have reservations about how people (and media) are fooled by the Apple marketing machine, into thinking everything they do is somehow new, everything the create is is somehow the best, and they can do no wrong. The BBC is a prime example of how well the marketing machine works, there isnt a day goes by where the BBC technology pages don't have something to praise Apple for; and yet, we hear very little when it comes to other significant or dominant technology software/hardware. I do however admire (as should Microsoft, RIM, Nokia and Palm/HP et al) the ease at which the machine operates, and the destructive nature a Steve Jobs announcement can have on their loyal followers and to a degree, the industry.
iPhones are nice, and quite rightly have a loyal following, the only reason id not consider owning one right now, is due to a few limitations that I find with them and I suppose to a degree, my contentedness with WinMo (im sorta don't fix something that isnt broke type of guy); if Apple were to change a few things, it would be on my radar; but thats personal choice. I stand by my argument, that there is no "best phone on the market" as each phone excels in different area's, each phone suits different types of people and different budgets, and no phone can truely hold a reputation of being the best in every area. There is no benchmark phone, simply a mish-mash of various different phones that set the present-day benchmark in maybe a couple of area's, but always ultimately fall short in others.
