Mature products are just that—mature products.
But, if Ubuntu works for you, don't let the opinion of one random guy on HN change your mind. Just consider yourself fortunate to find something you like and can use.
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.
This is a problem for a company that, like Apple, has used its own marketing to predicate its worth on being hip, new, exciting, and "innovative."
I don't mean they "invented" those (there were tablets / mp3 players / app stores, etc before). I mean they made them _matter_ (as in, going from nearly bankrupt to largest company on earth matter).
Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat. At best, they introduced me-too products in the same space (myriads of iPod "killers", iPad like tablets, app stores, etc).
Maybe Amazon is an exception, they did introduce the Kindle, which is a category of its own, and it got its own copycats (Barnes and Noble, etc). Still, rather small compared.
Meanwhile all of their rivals did, absolutely squat.
It's not that their rivals weren't trying (Maemo and Openmoko were definitely interesting), Apple just beat them at what they did best -- making it all fit together, and convincing people they needed it.
True, they could have played the "we're getting copied verbatim" card better, and only sue for relevant very technical patents.
I also had a hope that some policies will change for the better under Cook, but I'm not so sure.
They could also just not sue. They could win their case in the court of public opinion. After all, they are the marketing experts.
They just make cool stuff people want to buy. Most of the "marketing" is grassroots.
What exactly is the "brilliant marketing" they do? Make some good tv ads and being secretive before launch? It would hardly be a benefit to be secretive if people don't care about the end product in the first place. In fact, being secretive is the anti-marketing.
In my country we didn't even have any of their TV or billboard ads (and we still don't), and yet everybody knows the brand and lusted over/buyed the products.
MS, on the other hand, spends tons for advertising, promotion, special events and the like.
Ubuntu seems to perform better than OSX though: