Long-term research isn't in Apple's DNA. They did it before, and it almost ended up killing them (cf. Knowledge Navigator). They know this fact. Apple has been

Long-term research isn't in Apple's DNA. They did it before, and it almost ended up killing them (cf. Knowledge Navigator). They know this fact. Apple has been forthright about saying that they are a company that takes technologies that are 3-5 years out and bring them to fruition. Look at Microsoft. They've spent hundreds of billions on advanced R&D. Where did it get them?