“and (probably more importantly) breaking the carrier stranglehold on innovation and application distribution.”
It’s funny you should say this, because the exact opposite is true. On my first Windows Mobile phone (Samsung i760), which was several years ago, I was able to install whatever program I wanted. The carrier literally had no control over it. On the flip side, Apple only approves applications in their market that AT&T allows.
Take the earlier example of SlingPlayer. Sling demonstrated an iPhone version two years ago, which Apple only approved last year (and only for WiFi). Why? Because AT&T would not allow people to stream that much data. It wasn’t until earlier this year that AT&T actually allowed a 3G version of it on the market, whereas the 3G version for WinMo came out four years ago.
How did you get it on your WinMo phone? Simple, you downloaded it and installed it, just like you would on your computer. No carrier-controlled market ever came into play.
The iPhone actually introduced a new paradigm in which the carrier has total control (and final approval) of what apps run on your phone. See AT&T here saying they wouldn’t allow it on their network: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10239277-37.html
What carrier? Sprint and Verizon before Android, the two I have experience with, had pretty tight control.
The iPhone actually introduced a new paradigm in which the carrier has total control (and final approval) of what apps run on your phone. See AT&T here saying they wouldn’t allow it on their network:
The carriers always had that. Even with Apple the carrier takes over when the data has to cross through its networks. No use approving an app if AT&T says they won't allow it to work on their network.
There's no technical reason why the smartphone market didn't explode until the iPhone. It's business and design. Likewise, there was no technical reason digital music players didn't take off until the iPod, tablets didn't take off until the iPad, and digital music stores didn't take off before iTunes. The general concepts were achievable using the technologies of the times before Apple, as in all cases the products existed before Apple's products.