Microsoft is "ahead of it's time" with the windows 8 operating system.
The large majority of personal computers still use a mouse and keyboard/touchpad. Therefore, it only makes sense to have a start menu, and icons. Microsoft was betting that Windows 8 with their "metro interface" would take hold in the touchscreen environment, and that people would want a common OS for all of their devices. Currently, that's not true.
Apple has billions of dollars in the bank, and they seem to be doing nothing with it. Their "incremental updates" don't seem any different because all they do is slap a different processor in there and call it good. People used to be excited about getting an iphone because it was exclusive.
Now iphones are expensive, small, limiting, and plentiful.