Apple strives with the nuances of its hardware. It's not necessarily how innovative and unique the product is, but the strength at which Apple secures the most unique hardware that sets them apart from the competition. Their touch sensors are different than everyone else's in supporting multi strength touches. They have good battery life with larger than HD displays. The device weights 1.5 lbs, which is much lighter than the surface. This is no trivial feat. The blanket statements on the device's general purpose and how it has been done before is a huge generalization and a refusal to grasp the power of Apple as a company. It hasn't been done before in the way Apple does it.