What is Innovation? Lessons from the iPhone Launch

And why ‘Desirable, Viable & Feasible’ innovation is so powerful
By Dr. Peter Brown, 42 Technology

At FuturePrint TECH in November Dr Peter Brown and Simon Jelley will be delivering a talk ‘What is Innovation’? - ahead of the talk, Peter outlines the lessons from the launch of the iPhone and what innovation actually means.

Innovation. It’s one of those words thrown around so often that its meaning has become blurred, overused, and at times, misapplied. To truly appreciate its value, we need to start by defining it clearly.

At its core, innovation is about creating something new—a new proposition, a fresh solution to a challenge, or even an entirely new way of doing things. But it’s not enough for something to simply be new; it must also be useful and an improvement over what came before. Unfortunately, not everything labelled as "innovation" meets this standard.

The dictionary offers two definitions. First, it describes innovation as the outcome—a new product or idea. Second, it defines it as the process of innovating. But if we dig deeper, we find two distinct types of innovation.

The first is incremental innovation: small, continuous improvements that most companies pursue because it's safer and less risky. Then there's step-change innovation—a radical shift that brings something entirely different to the table. This is where true disruption happens, and it’s the kind of work that defines groundbreaking innovators.

Steve Jobs encapsulated this idea when he said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Creating something new and useful makes you a leader, and that’s a powerful way to think about innovation.

Jobs himself was a master of disruptive innovation, and the iPhone is a prime example. It didn’t just enter the market—it redefined it. Unlike incremental innovation, which builds on what already exists, disruptive innovation fundamentally changes the landscape, offering solutions to problems people didn’t even know they had.

Jobs’ story at Apple is a fascinating study in leadership and transformation. There were essentially two versions of him: the pre-Apple departure Jobs and the Jobs who returned to lead Apple to unprecedented success. When he returned, he changed the company in ways that few could have anticipated. The launch of the iMac was a case in point. It was simple—everything integrated into one transparent box, without a floppy disk drive, a bold move at a time when floppy disks were still the standard. But it was this foresight that recognized the shift toward an internet-based world, positioning Apple ahead of the curve.

Then came the iPhone, which followed the success of the iPod. What set Jobs apart wasn’t that he gave people what they thought they wanted—he anticipated their needs before they even knew them themselves. That level of vision, intuition, and risk-taking is central to true innovation.

But product innovation, as exemplified by the iPhone, is just one dimension. Innovation can manifest in many forms—new consumer propositions, user interactions, manufacturing processes, or even commercial models. The most powerful innovations often combine several of these at once.

Most people, and most companies, however, are risk-averse. They prefer to change one thing at a time, testing the waters before diving in. Apple, on the other hand, didn’t just introduce a better touchscreen with the iPhone. They reimagined the entire user experience, packaging it with intuitive design for internet browsing, email, and more. It wasn’t any one feature that revolutionised the market, but the integration of all these innovations that created a complete transformation.

It’s worth remembering that the iPhone wasn’t the first smartphone. BlackBerry had dominated the market for years, and many users were fiercely loyal to their physical keyboards. Yet, within a few years of the iPhone’s release, BlackBerry was obsolete. Individually, the innovations in the iPhone—touchscreen technology, user-friendly interfaces, app ecosystems—might not have seemed groundbreaking. But together, they created something transformative.

At the heart of Apple’s success—and a hallmark of highly successful innovation in general—is the concept of balancing three key elements: desirability, viability, and feasibility. This balance is essential for long-lasting impact.

Focusing solely on technical functionality or consumer desirability is not enough. The true magic happens when you bring these three together—ensuring that what you're creating is desirable to consumers, commercially viable, and technically feasible. This holistic approach not only mitigates risk but also leads to well-rounded, robust solutions that stand the test of time. In Apple's case, the iPhone hit the mark on all three fronts, propelling it from just another product launch to a complete market revolution.

By ensuring that innovation is desirable, viable, and feasible, companies can elevate their products from being merely functional to truly transformational. When these three forces are aligned, innovation is not just a process—it becomes a driving force that reshapes entire industries.