> It was a triumph of a consumption mindset over usability.
Touché. At the time the iPhone launched I had a Nokia N91. I later got an N95 and finally a N900, after which I've only used non-productive touchscreen devices.
Speaking of which, I've been following and drooling a bit after the Gemini PDA and its successors (Cosmo Communicator) but now with their latest Astro Slide I'm actually considering biting the bullet and getting one, thanks to the new keyboard mechanism which doesn't require you to open the device to see the screen: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transforme...
I thought about this for a moment and realised it is probably correct, but not in a good way
Previously we used durable, work-orientated smartphones with productive keyboard input. Then the iPhone arrived and popularised a flashy but fragile and less efficient form factor that became dominant.
Every time I type in a touchscreen phone I regret that change. It was a triumph of a consumption mindset over usability.