I wanted to address this one by itself. I do agree they do that on occasion (remember the iPad launched with no camera but had a the space built in?) But most of the time its one of two things. Either the technology isn't mature enough yet or cheap enough yet.
On the issue of the maturity of the tech. Remember, Apple sell hundreds of millions of these phones a year, so whatever they put in must also be massed produced at the same level. When amoled first became good on the Note 4, other oems couldn't use that same screen because Samsung couldn't produce enough at the time. Now Samsung has not only the quality, but the manufacturing down where they can make a lot more, notice how many other handsets are now using the same amoled displays Samsung is? Now if Apple were to start using this display, that means Samsung would have to make an additional 100 million displays, not an easy task. It's because of this large scale that forces apple at times to use older more proven tech instead of the cutting edge stuff.
And the other issue is that apple has a lot of their parts custom made, which is more expensive, so they have to dial back certain things that would eat into their profit margin. It sucks because as a fan of tech you want that all, but these are businesses trying to make money and they all decide where to spend their money on. Some would rather use off the shelf parts so they can afford to use newer tech where available. But they all have a budget on what they can put in for how much they want to charge, Apple just prefers use their budget on other things.
I understand all this, but don't forget that Apple is also sitting on a giant pile of money. It's difficultly to deny that Apple can get away with using older tech to keep manufacturing costs down because they know their products will sell well regardless due to the brand. I don't think any other company could get away with what Apple is doing.
Can you imagine, for example, if Apple were the one leading the charge in larger screen size options, and other OEM's were the ones refusing and sticking to just the 4 inch phone? Or NFC. Or wireless charging. Anything. They wouldn't last. Yet Apple gets away with it. And gets away with it with record breaking sales. And because of that, it's easy to be tempted to simply say, well kudos to them! They obviously shouldn't change anything! (As you know, I argue it's a mistake to see it that way.)
I have no doubt there's truth in what you're saying. Not contending with any of the specifics. It's just such a shame that that's what's happening on the Apple side. Because it now feels like the competition is forging ahead and providing better, newer, and more exciting options. Whatever the reasons and logistics are, it feels like Apple is behind.
The s7 edge is the most worry-free phone I've ever used. Never have to worry about battery life, water or dust, whether a credit card scanner will read Samsung pay or not, the qualities of photos or videos. Even charging is a more worry free affair because it's so much faster and easier. Software features like quick toggles or edge panels are all customizable to my liking and personal usage. All worry free.
Everything about the s7 edge is here to help you just use the device, and not have to over think about anything else. We once spoke of the iPhone like this. Where new or novel technology made the device exciting and fun to use. Where the design made you proud and in awe every time you pulled it out. I sincerely cannot say that about the iPhone anymore. Even their new features are hampered by Apple's refusal to allow people to customize their phone (again, why can I not pick what to put in control center? So frustrating. What happened to the all importance of personal use Apple fans keep talking about?).
Anyway, not all that was directed at you. Speaking generally.
PS. And let's not forget now Samsung (and others) is helping users get into virtual reality, which I can't wait to try.
