Apple's new iPhone hits stores today and it looks likely the new models will be another financial success for the company. It won't, however, do much to boost the US economy. But in poorer countries, the story is different: There, the ongoing rollout of mobile phone service is nothing short of revolutionary, and applications such as mobile payments are multiplying that impact. One reason mobile phones have a considerably greater impact in poor countries is because other information-based services are so weak. Even so, it's worth remembering that while elegant styling and fancy tablets have made Apple successful, it's the cheap Nokias and the text-based mobile money systems that have really changed the world.