Many of the products that touch our lives every day have maturated steadily over the course of decades, including automotive, manufacturing, and entertainment. The mobile industry is a bit of an outlier. While the elements of the technology have developed as a subset of telecommunications over a breadth of time, the current evolution of smartphones is occurring at break-neck speed.
I would consider myself an early adopter. In the 1990's, I was a big fan of PDA devices, which led me to create the first device-specific OtterBox cases. The issue then was that the PDA was a great data tool, but it wouldn't 'speak' with a pocket-sized cellular device in a seamless manner. At the time, I remember hoping for a single device option, but I thought we were much further away from the type of technology we have today.
Being embroiled in this industry, it's been amazing to watch the ebbs and flows and rapid consumer-driven evolution of technology and design. The mobile industry offers a great view of how customer demands transform, and even calm, an industry.