This is where Apple really shines as a company. People like to hate on Apple, and it's certainly warranted sometimes, but they have a unique ability to galvanize a consumer base, and move it in a new direction by showing consumers things they didn't even know they needed.
Right now, cell technology has stagnated to a degree; we get annual spec bumps, and companies try different things to see which way the market is trending, but there hasn't been much movement. What we can be sure of is that whatever Apple does this year with iPhone 6 is going to become the new "standard", and other companies will follow that lead. We already see that with "biometrics" becoming a thing. If the rumors are true about the iPhone 6, sapphire glass will be a thing as well. That's kind of what Apple does. They don't innovate every year, but every once in a while they leapfrog the competition and change the game.