> Apple has been researching personal computing since it was founded, and invests heavily in figuring out exactly what works to make viable products.
Apple actually does comparatively little spending on R&D when contrasted with the likes of Microsoft or even Google. [1] When it comes to design, it's well known that Apple is of the mentality that good design is something recognizable and, that being the case, they don't invest in human-computer interaction research. [2]
[1] http://b2bspecialist.posterous.com/chart-randd-spending-comp...
[2] http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/97958-why-is-great-desig...