[wickedchicken]

"After all, during his too-brief, once-in-a-century career, he radically disrupted at least seven industries: personal computing, desktop software, music, mobile phones, publishing, tablet computers, and Hollywood animation"

Completely OT, but I thought it was interesting to note that the time difference between the first mobile phone and the first commercially successful smartphone (1973-2007) and the time difference between the invention of the telegraph and telephone [phone]) were approximately the same. Apparently awesomeness takes 40 years to bloom.

[jmduke]

I love my iPhone, but calling it the first commercially successful smartphone is willfully ignorant of the Blackberry.

[ricardobeat]

The time gap stands (1973-2002/2003).

[jmduke]

Quite true!

[Steko]

Maybe it's just the 20 year patents?

[herval]

Are you sure e iPhone was the first "commercially successful smartphone"? It's definitely a top-seller, but I remember quite a few commercially successful devices before it... (mostly Treos and Nokias)