Talking down competitive features is nothing new for Apple's mobile business.
Remember when the first iPhone shipped? Other phones had 3G and ran apps. Apple said that 3G "was a battery hog and not needed with WiFi available everywhere," and that native apps were old fashioned -- web apps were the future.
Then they added 3G and the App Store.
Then Palm launched the Pre with multitasking, gestures and native Exchange support.
Apple said that multitasking was a geek feature that nobody needed (and that added nothing to the phone experience). Gestures, we learned, were a gimmick, and native Exchange support wasn't *that* important.
Then Apple added multitasking, gestures and Exchange support to iOS.
Then Android launched phones with high resolution screens, faster chipsets and 4G wireless. Apple said those were all functions that the average user didn't care about.
Then Apple launched the Retina display, dual core chips, and HSPA in the 4/4S.
Then Android and Windows Phone devices delivered larger, high resolution screens and LTE. Apple said that LTE was a total battery drain with little value-added and that any screen above 3.5 inches is too large.
Then Apple launched the 5 with a larger screen and LTE.
I *guarantee* that Apple will launch a future device with inductive charging, NFC and other tech that is missing now.