Many people thought Ubuntu was a mature product until Unity came along. The blowback from that also explains why Apple seeks to refine, rather than reinvent.

Many people thought Ubuntu was a mature product until Unity came along. The blowback from that also explains why Apple seeks to refine, rather than reinvent. OSX has looked pretty much the same for 10 years, compared to MS' constant reinvention of Windows. The MacBook Pro hasn't really changed since the unibody update, although the Retina might be a sign of things to come. Hell, the Mac Pro hasn't changed its appearance in forever. Apple's MO seems to be to iterate over prototypes until they get something they're happy with, then release it and give it minor updates as it matures. The only two products I can think of that buck this trend are the iPod and iPhone, and the rapid changes in the former were simply the result of massive miniaturization of the requisite technologies, and the emergence of capacitive touch screens.