Absolutely agreed. What he probably means is "good enough to show my holiday pictures to friends on a phone in a bar".

Of course it's true, that it's far more important to have photographer skills (find a good motive, angle, frame it right, lightning, etc.). That's something you can't buy though. Also he doesn't really shine in this regard, to be honest.

BUT, to support his point (and my last one), take a look at this: http://mostlylisa.com/worldtrip/ So again, it's the photographer and his skills and not the technical details. You'll quickly hit limits with a smartphone though (as you described in your post).

edit: Also, the main blog will show pictures taken with a full frame DSLR which simply wouldn't be possible with a smartphone. http://mostlylisa.com/