I disagree with your points about Apple - just because the vision is the only thing we (as the general public) sees. You cannot discount how many dead end produ

I disagree with your points about Apple - just because the vision is the only thing we (as the general public) sees. You cannot discount how many dead end products that are prototyped within Apple - and with their resources, they are able to build pretty much anything. From raw silicon to SOC to hardware prototypes of all kinds. Amazon probably requires the assistance of external parties to prototype the production of something like the kindle, but I believe Apple has the resources to assemble the iPad (at a low volume) in-house completely (ie from the silicon to the boards, to the plastic mouldings and final assembly and packaging. I do believe that Apple also follows an internal "fail fast" strategy - it's just that we don't see the iterations. I don't think Jobs is a Moses type see-all super visionary character - he just knows what's good - has "good taste". His lieutenants come up with product ideas to fit his vision, and he bashes the hell out of the bad ones. Kinda like what Google does, or Amazon does, or Bill Gates does (when he was around). In that light, I don't think you can separate Apple from the rest of the "Gang of Four" - in fact, I think these ideas of "fail fast" and extreme agility, flexibility, and scale unite all 4 companies. Just my opinion.