Those who got in early made almost infinitely more than those who got in later (or who lost) - classic Ponzi scheme. So did people who invested early in Apple,

Those who got in early made almost infinitely more than those who got in later (or who lost) - classic Ponzi scheme. So did people who invested early in Apple, domain names, or property in Manhattan. I think the bare minimum you'd need to define something as being a Ponzi scheme is, well, a scheme - that is, an intention to defraud people, and I don't see such intent in the creation of Bitcoin.