That's absolutely it: it's not the product, it's the process that makes the product. Patents are supposed to help foster innovation for the benefit of the consumer and society as a whole. The innovator gets rewarded as a matter of course, but it's not the main purpose. If you make something marketable, then decide to rest on your laurels, then you deserve to get left behind by your competitors.
I hate to beat a dead horse, but look at Microsoft. They tried to protect their advantage instead of innovating. (Or they may have tried but simply failed in their attempts to innovate and execute.) If Apple ever starts along the same path, then they'll get the same results.
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That's absolutely it: it's not the product, it's the process that makes the product. Patents are supposed to help foster innovation for the benefit of the consumer and society as a whole. The innovator gets rewarded as a matter of course, but it's not the main purpose. If you make something marketable, then decide to rest on your laurels, then you deserve to get left behind by your competitors.
I hate to beat a dead horse, but look at Microsoft. They tried to protect their advantage instead of innovating. (Or they may have tried but simply failed in their attempts to innovate and execute.) If Apple ever starts along the same path, then they'll get the same results.