What people saw back then is that Jobs was selling a phone. When in reality Steve was selling a post-pc device that could also make phone calls.
That's why the usual fashion cycle didn't apply.
The categories are still quite confusing, because Apple's products stubbornly fail to fit cleanly in any of the old ones.
Is the iPod Touch a phone? No. Is it more-or-less like an iPhone? More, rather than less. Is the iPad a PC? No. Does it replace a PC? Yes and no. Does it replace an iPhone? No and yes.
It's reminiscent of the elder days when "microcomputers" were new, and one could have an extensive debate over whether a microcomputer was a real computer or just a toy. In the long run, of course, the very word microcomputer died out.
Is the iPod Touch a phone? No. Is it more-or-less like an iPhone? More, rather than less. Is the iPad a PC? No. Does it replace a PC? Yes and no. Does it replace an iPhone? No and yes.
It's reminiscent of the elder days when "microcomputers" were new, and one could have an extensive debate over whether a microcomputer was a real computer or just a toy. In the long run, of course, the very word microcomputer died out.