As I mentioned..got my iPhone late last week. What's amazed me most is the attention to detail in the user experience. Every little thing has been thought through and integrated into the experience. As opposed to Windows Mobile..where every little thing seems to be developed seperately and then the whole ungainly mess is bound together with chewing gum and scotch tape. Can't speak to the other mobile OS's..but the iPhone amazes me.
There's a philosophy here that seems to be recurring. You can throw brute force innovation at a problem, trying to overwhelm it by a sheer show of power. Or, you can create innovation around the needs of the user, making sure your solutions contribute to an amazing user experience. Microsoft seems to be in the first camp (where much of the ad hoc innovation ends up being dropped, just because it can't be integrated in a useful manner) and Apple is in the second camp. You'll see this in other industries. I'm thinking GM and Toyota's approach to the driver experience. I don't think anyone on the planet has more respect for the user than Apple.
This is the thinking that's desperately needed in Search. Google comes the closest, but even they don't have the Zen-like holistic user experience that Apple seems to bring. It would be amazing to see these two colloborate on next generation search..with Google's immense respect for relevant information, defined by the user, and Apple's ability to weave it into a seamless and amazing experience.