How easily people forget. 1. The App Store didn't show up until the 3G; whereas Java ME and Win Mobile apps had been around for years. You could install your o

How easily people forget. 1. The App Store didn't show up until the 3G; whereas Java ME and Win Mobile apps had been around for years. You could install your own Java ME or Windows Mobile apps without going through the carrier; whereas Apple really does control the whole channel on iOS. That stated, smartphone apps prior to the iPhone 3G tended to miss the mark with respect to convenience, quality, and ubiquity. 2. The iPhone probably was the first phone with a decent browser. Their UX was quite good, and definitely took advantage of the recent evolution in the available hardware (e.g. large, capacitive multi-touch screens). 3. The iPhone didn't have GPS until the 3G. That and other missing features were major complaints about the first release. 4. The interface really wasn't smooth at all until probably the 3GS. The 3G and below were randomly jittery and jumpy, but that's understandable given the extent to which they were pushing the envelope on the hardware of the day. 5. Yes, the iPhone was the first mass-market phone with a UX that really took advantage of a large capacitive multi-touch screen. However, Apple certainly didn't create those screens, or produce the first devices to use them. They did, however, make the first broadly successful device built on that technology, employing a combination of solid design and very aggressive marketing. But it's misleading to claim that others in the industry weren't already moving in that direction as well.