Yet the rise of the iPad was a major factor in the decline of another proprietary standard, Flash.

FORBES: The Death of Flash and the Quiet Triumph of Open Standards

"The iPhone is a big factor in rejuvenating a lot of the NAND market and the flash market in general, " says Alan Niebel, chief executive officer at memory and storage researcher Web-Feet Research in Monterey, Calif.

FORBES: A Cure For Memory Headaches: The iPhone