[j_r_]

It seems to me like you want to suggest, that Google is copying Apple here. (If not, ignore this post.)

I remember using a Nokia smartphone back in 2004. It already had the application icon grid, colored icons, it had maps, it had navigation, a web browser, email and an mp3 player. The quality of the software was poor, the hardware was cheap and underpowered, there was no multi-touch and, of course, the network was slow and too expensive to actually use.

Sure, Apple took the smartphone and actually turned it into a mobile computer that was a pleasure to use. Also the timing was right.

Google did not add as much value as Apple to the state of the art. But Apple certainly copied older smartphones feature-for-feature as well, then they made this into a great experience.

But to suggest that now Apple has somehow the exclusive right to produce phones that are not on the level of smartphone from 2006 and older is just wrong.