The reason iPhone was designed for this usage pattern probably has to do with the iPod, with which they owned mobile music consumption for half a decade. A PDA

The reason iPhone was designed for this usage pattern probably has to do with the iPod, with which they owned mobile music consumption for half a decade. A PDA would have been a radical re-think. Fans wanted a phone in there since day one. The only reason it took them six years to do it was Jobs commitment to getting it exactly right (or "his way" if you wish) which meant technology had to become available.