No, that's what I'm saying. The world has never had to "catch up" with Apple. Apple has never created "something unique". What Apple has always done, what Jobs always did, was take the time to re-package existing technologies into an appealing, easy-to-use form.

Apple did not invent the MP3 player. Apple did not invent the touchscreen. Apple did not invent anything at all, and never has! At every Apple release, you could find competitors who already had the same technology out in their own devices. But what Apple does provide is a product that has been thought out, designed, and engineered to a level that nobody else seems able to manage.