I still don't get why you think Apple is the slower innovator here. You yourself already admit that you can't fathom why this is so. Maybe that's precisely the point - that you are wrong, rather than the rest of the world being wrong. That Apple devices are both fully-featured and sport great specs. Apple is simply competing in ways that cannot be listed down in specs, but it doesn't mean that they are not competing.
You seem fixated almost exclusively on hardware features and software features in a silo, while neglecting how well Apple devices work together. You want to know what I think Apple should do better? It's improving their software and services. Not the hardware, because it's becoming painfully clear that their software cannot keep up with the hardware advancements. Not releasing a ton of half-baked features like on Android. Rather, improve how well my Apple devices play with one another and make its services more reliable and consistent. Things like Airplay mirroring is an excellent example of how 2 seemingly innocuous products (Apple TV and iPad) can come together to deliver a unique and amazing result (I use it so I can control the interactive whiteboard in class while still being able to walk around in the classroom and it still never fails to impress me).
Let's compare Samsung and Apple for argument's sake. Is Samsung managing an app store the scale of Apple's, or developing the Metal API, or managing a plethora of cloud services, or linking everything together with continuity and handoff? From what I have seen over the past couple of years, Apple isn't slacking off at all. They are working at breakneck pace. They have just redesigned iOS and OS X and introduced a ton of new features and tied everything together, and these achievements somehow all count for nothing simply because their iPhone still sports a 1.2 mp front camera?
Plenty to address here but I've already explained my position ad nauseum. Reread my posts if you need to.
The one thing I do want to address directly though is this misconception that apple doesn't give us half baked products and or features. And that everything they do is super focused.
Explain to me apple maps please in its first two years and especially in its first year. How is that not a half baked feature that was rushed out so they could oust google maps? Tim cook apologized for it and there were executive firings.
Explain to me how come their version of "ok google" with siri can only be used when plugged into the car? Why isn't it OS wide like it can be on some android devices? The moto x can be activated nearly entirely hands free.
How about ios 8 update that bricked or otherwise caused havoc on people's phones.
There are probably plenty more examples. And if your answer is to "conserve battery" then I say to you, maybe specs do matter.
So sure apple may not do half baked as often as others do but that, I think, is simply because they don't offer that many new features in the first place.
And this whole idea that they don't release anything until it's meticulously thought out and focused down... Ok I believe that to some degree. But really, how much more focused down do you need to be to offer more email attachments or to improve the keyboard (something they haven't really made any significant changes or improvements to in years), or to finally give us a larger screen (how log did that take!), or real multitasking, etc?
How much more focused do they need to contemplate about power saving modes? Or wireless charging? Or higher camera megapixels? And more.
If you think they don't roll out these features intentionally slower to maximize profits then I don't know what to tell ya. If you don't think they're able to roll out these features slowly because of their brand recognition and near guaranteed success, then I don't know what to tell ya. You've bought right into their marketing and hyperbole.
Yes they do many things right but if you don't think they could do more if they wanted to but don't because they don't have to thanks to the branding you're fooling yourself. And worse, you're not allowing a discussion on how people might want more out of their apple device.
It's the classic "it just works" mixed with a bit of the ol' classic "let apple dictate what we need" excuse we've heard time and time again.
