I'm pretty sure I called it

With evidence mounting that SSDs are going to cream HDDs in the near future - I think it's safe to say that Apple did indeed ring the death knell first. Yes there were other manufacturers using SSD technology, but clearly it's not just making use of a technology that shifts the way people think, it's implementing that technology in a way that no one else did for a product that no one else could come close to producing.

Hats off Mr. Jobs.