Yeah, it's really interesting isn't it?

When you hold a tablet, the first and most obvious thing you would think about is "Where's the pen? I want to write something on this thing."

But Microsoft has been working with that premise for nearly 10 years and they've not found the right combination. Even today, their tablets still don't address some basic issues (right form factor, basic navigation, usability limitations, etc).

Then way from the left field, Apple came up with a variant of said tablet, taking away the single most obvious use (writing) and cashed in on the market. Big time.

Btw, I think internally Apple (read: Jobs) has a 5-6 steps program for iOS that they don't publish. It may look something like:

1. Get it out there with basic functionalities (web, phone, messaging, pim).
2. Add Apps.
(2.5. Copy paste, due to extreme public demand and b&tch!ng)
3. Add Multitasking.
4. Add Writing.
5. Add Openness.
6. ...
7. Profit.

Wait, no, they've been profiting since step 1. Big time.