Apple didn't "win" the smartphone race, but they had a five year head start and ended up becoming the most valuable (publicly traded) company in the world.
The iphone was in 2007. The Blackberry preceded it by many years. Same for the Palm Pilot.
This photo is a good if incomplete depiction of cellphones before and after iPhone [0]
Many traditional phone makers ceased to exist in the iPhone era — Blackberry, Nokia, Palm, Motorola, Ericsson, etc. Many new players took their places — Google, Samsung, Xiaomi, HTC. All smartphones are similar today. In that context Apple is a pioneer, with a head start. Wasn’t for long, mind you.
The iphone was in 2007. The Blackberry preceded it by many years. Same for the Palm Pilot.