With minor changes, much of this post could have been written before iPod about mp3 players, or before iPhone about smartphones: the competitors have launched t

With minor changes, much of this post could have been written before iPod about mp3 players, or before iPhone about smartphones: the competitors have launched things in this space for years, the products are (from a technically savvy reviewer's perspective) neat and work fine, but Apple is ignoring the competition with no sense of urgency, etc. Based on those historical examples, here's a likely outcome: Apple takes its time getting all the branding ducks in a row, so that a bunch of people with disposable income do buy the product; after which, the fandom of that product will rewrite history to say that nothing comparable existed before because none of the competitors cared enough about design and user experience. Or some other euphemism for the fact that like everyone else, they bought it because of the feelings it gave them to entertain buying it. Apple is the master of the unboxing video, the implication of what buying their products means about you. Jony Ive doesn't have to do anything except be Jony Ive (why do I know his name again? Not because of design)