So how would you classify what Apple did with the iPod and then the iPhone? Did it define and shape the future? Or did they find out what the market wanted and solve for it?

It seems to me both approaches are valid. One approach builds the future that most people imagine and want. The other one builds a future that one person, or a small group of people, imagine and want. Certainly the former is more likely to succeed, but the latter might yield more interesting results if successful.