You probably should watch that video. This is one of its core subject. Kay makes a valuable distinction between invention and innovation, and what you describe falls into the "innovation" bucket. It's incremental. Yes, our cellphones are more powerful than mainframes of the old, but do we utilize them to the same extent?

So are FinFETs, Quantum Wells, EUV lithography, compact linear accelerators and all the devices necessary for shrinking just "innovation"?

What's "invention then"?

radio probably is invention .. various multiplexing techniques like TDMA, FDMA, CDMA are not ..

But aren't lasers incremental too?