I don't disagree with a lot here, but to say Google has no vision is to ignore the vast amounts of things they do elsewhere (and arguably even with Android). If you want to talk about Google as a company as a whole... take the blinders off.
And Apple doesn't "wait and see what everyone else does first"? You're kidding, right? If anything, that's mostly what they do. The trick, though, is they learn from others mistakes and missteps and repackages and redelivers it in a way that feels new, all in an attempt to offer a better experience. Nothing wrong with this, of course, but you'd have to be truly daft to think they don't "wait and see."
Agreed. Google does innovate a lot. Android Wear is amazing and so is Android L. Part of the innovation that Google has been making so far with Android is that it shows stuff that is important to you before you need and it prioritizes stuff based on what is more important to you. In a nutshell, they are bringing Google Now outside of Google Now and integrating it throughout Android. This is amazing. Like with notifications, they are ordered based on priority.
----------
]Apple will copy a few distinct features and such. Google and Microsoft will copy the entire OS design, products, and so on with a few twists.
I agree with most of what you said but it would be unfair not to give credits to Microsoft for the move to flat UI. Apple followed in that regards, and Google followed Apple's specific moves so yes, Apple in a way did lead some specific parts of the design, but Apple was still following Microsoft.