I didn't think about Apple's financial genius when I posted this, but like you're getting at, Microsoft may have created a nice product line with Surface, but Apple's reach as a consumer electronics brand is beyond the scope of anything Microsoft is capable of now.

Apple can continue the product lines they have now and just iterate those products and still mint money for the coming time.

But as a fan of Apple, (although I don't own any of their products) it was always great to see the next great product Apple would release that seemed lightyears ahead of their competition. Some of that drive to out innovate their peers might have been from Jobs, but I hoped that Apple would continue their streak of creating products that give a sense of awe.

Microsoft seems to have captured that ability to awe geeks and techies with the Surface line and given that Microsoft for the longest seemed like it has been playing catch up with Apple and Google. Maybe Microsoft has caught people's attention if only because it seemed that innovation wasn't a priority and so any effort given to innovate is noteworthy.

Also, Microsoft's only way to grow as a company is to gain the attention of the tech community since it's ability to become a consumer products company, outside of XBOX, have failed. (Zune, Windows Mobile, etc)

<--- Me when my head hits the pillow