Yeah, you need an Apple to do iPhone dev.
If you are interested in tinkering, the iPhone is totally not for you. If however, you are interested in something that has a brilliant design, then check it out.
The iPhone isn't strictly innovative in any way, because everything it has done has been done on something else first. Except perhaps the multi-touch screen on a phone, but that's not as big of a deal as people make it seem. It's even missing a few features that other phones have had for like five years, like MMS (picture messaging) and copy+paste functionality.
But one thing it does do well is presentation+ease of use. The device is excellently proportioned and comfortable. The OS runs very well (far fewer crashes than I have with my WinMo 5/6 phones), and the apps look and work great. Also, the simple things are the thinks that really make the whole experience stand out. Like kinetic scrolling. The whole experience just feels natural, intuitive. I could give this "smartphone" to anyone in the office, and they wouldn't have much trouble with it, except for the syncing part (which I would help them set up initially). In fact, Apple doesn't even ship these things with a manual.
But the phone I'm currently drooling over is the HTC Touch Pro or the Touch HD. The Touch Pro is called the
ATT Fuze in the US. I don't think the Touch HD has made it's way to any carrier over here yet.