Isn't it generally very hard to be first to market? And even if you are it's more likely that someone coming in later will take your lunch.
Apple wasn't the first one to try to make a successful smartphone, but they had resources, know-how, and tried at a better time with fewer unknowns around.
Or were just willing to adapt when others didn’t. Blackberry mocked the touchscreen for years until finally coming around and their initial implementation was awful.
