I think you are vastly over simplifying what the iPhone was to the industry. The iPhone wasn’t just a native browser, it was also the iPod, Messaging with a full keyboard, and an intuitive integrated phone with visual voicemail. Also Apple through the iPhone freed us from being under the thumbs of our carriers and they’re terrible adware software. At the time I hated my phones so seeing the iPhone wasn’t just an easy and natural progression, it’s something I needed. A folding screen seems like engineers creating something that has no need. I don’t want it. It seems like 3-D TV “let’s do it because we can” not because it’s a good idea.

> Absolutely. It showed that browsing the proper Web on a phone was something feasible to do.

In 2007, the proper web involved tons of Flash. Flash video players, Flash games, Flash-based interactive websites. None of those worked on the iPhone.

Its web browsing ability wasn't much better than what you could already get on keyboard-based phones like Nokia, Blackberry and Samsung. On the iPhone you did pinch to zoom, and on the other smartphones, you were served the WAP version of the page, or you could browse the full page with the scrollwheel.

Assuming the screen tech holds up. It’ll be a few iterations and several years before we can even determine if this is here to last. Even more before the price comes down to something kinda affordable.

Also worth noting that flagship phones have only gotten more expensive since the first iPhone. Remember when we all thought the first iPhone was too expensive?

This is 2k for what is essentially a prototype.