I wanted to argue originally that the original iPhone is a nice example, if you compare it to other 2007 high end phones like the N95, but a theoretically perhaps clearer example is the evolution of soccer formations, they evolve to beat the currently used formations. To pick a specific example, the 4-4-2 with diamond midfield is a formation which is good in two situations, beating itself and being perfectly suited to the 1998-2000 French international squad, which did win the World and European Championship. After this success suddenly everybody wanted to play a 4-4-2 diamond. Interestingly it is not very good against the dominant formation of the late nineties, the 4-4-2 with flat midfield.[1] The solution to this problem was the development of the modern full back, [2] and suddenly the best players are playing the position with the least influence. And this in turn leads to shifts in tactics, such that the full back position can more easily join the attack. [3] So I would argue, that if France did not have the specific players they had in the late nineties, then modern football would look very different than it actually does. Especially we would still see very unremarkable players at full back.
[1] A flat midfield has two wingers on each side, a diamond midfield only one.
[2] http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/01/19/twtc-the-advent-of-at...
[3] http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/04/22/is-the-sweeper-set-fo...
