And before the iPhone data charges where horrific, £/$/€'s per MB (not GB). If you were only nickel and dimed you were doing well. To get the initial exclusive iPhone contracts the telcos had to offer unlimited data which made a smartphone useful in a way that the earlier models weren't.

That is how the iPhone changed the market for the better at least in the UK and even if you don't have one. Competitive pressure may have caused it to happen eventually but we can all thank Steve Jobs for speeding up that important change.