They fast-follow then market so aggressively with just enough proprietary tweaks so they can trademark it that people think that Apple invented the technology.
People end up thinking Apple invented something because they tend to make the first usable version of something that could appeal to the general population.
...are we going to pretend smartphones didn't exist before iPhone was launched? I think I was on my 3rd one when the iPhone came out and even then it was a luxury toy for the rich, I didn't know anyone who actually had an iPhone for a good few years after they came out.
> People end up thinking Apple invented something because they tend to make the first usable version
I think we can all agree that the original iPhone is the conceptual progenitor of virtually every phone that’s mattered in the market since it was released.
Smartphones prior to it have essentially zero descendants. For all intents and purposes they effectively did invent the smartphone. Hell “smartphones” as a distinct market all but don’t even exist any more. They’re barely even “phones” at this point. And this entire arc of development points directly back to the original iPhone release.
...because you said so? I'm assuming you will say Palms also don't count? Blackberries neither? Phones running Windows Mobile weren't really smartphones? Let me guess - nothing that wasn't an iPhone counts?