Let's look at the definition of innovation, and see if your example qualifies.
"Innovation is about finding a better way of doing something.[1] Innovation can be viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in-articulated needs, or existing market needs.[2] This is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments and society. The term innovation can be defined as something original and, as a consequence, new, that "breaks into" the market or society. A definition consistent with these aspects would be the following: "An innovation is something original, new, and important in whatever field that breaks in to a market or society".[3]
While something novel is often described as an innovation, in economics, management science, and other fields of practice and analysis it is generally considered a process that brings together various novel ideas in a way that they have an impact on society.
Innovation differs from invention in that innovation refers to the use of a better and, as a result, novel idea or method, whereas invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method itself.
Innovation differs from improvement in that innovation refers to the notion of doing something different rather than doing the same thing better."
Innovation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It qualifies perfectly for the conclusion of the first paragraph.
"An innovation is something original, new, and important in whatever field that breaks in to a market or society"
^
Important, new, changed the market / society.
I am probably not old enough to know, if our new lid implies the following and how it changed things back then:
"a process that brings together various novel ideas in a way that they have an impact on society."
But I have the feeling that it might count.
The third paragraph gets tricky.
Our flat lid is obviously an invention, if it wasn't existant before. This is where my lacking knowledge is a problem. If however, that flat lid was used before already, then it is no invention.
It definitely was a novel and better way to handle shampoo though.
Now onto the last paragraph...
That's the most tricky one for that flat lid.
Is the flat lid different enough from those before it, to not only be considered an improvement?
I'd say no. The flat lid, is still just a lid.
To deserve the innovation tag, a product or process, has to fulfil ALL of those requirements posted in the definition above, and the lid isn't compliant with one of them (improvement/innovation).
And the Passport as a whole struggles with far more than the last point.
Edit:
Yes, this seems to be about semantics.
If someone uses the word innovative, combined with BlackBerry Passport, he has to prove that the Passport actually qualifies.
(unless he works in a marketing department. They would try to sell you a horse as being innovative)
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