Edgy, but I like it. But you are, unfortunately, assuming too much.

Companies do not rise or fall on single innovation attempts anymore. That is not how a modern tech company operates (not any other kind of company for that matter). What's more, NOBODY ASKED THEM TO DO SO. Neither did I. I've mentioned it in another answer I gave yesterday, I think: not me, not anyone else expects of Apple to suddenly go crazy on trying a great number of new things for the sake of innovation. The stuff that makes Apple money will continue to be based on more grounded concepts, most of which will be - you guessed it - refinements of stuff already out there.

Having said that, THERE IS plenty of room for trying new things within that frame of stability. 3D Touch, for instance, was not a bad attempt by Apple standards. Sure, it failed because it was not widely adopted by developers, but it was a valiant effort in adding an extra layer of interactivity to the GUI of iOS. Nobody had tried doing that in that way before. It could have just as easily succeeded, making the "long press" on icons a standard thing. It didn't. But it was worth a shot.

In another answer I mentioned computational photography. Google neither hit the jackpot nor did it take a hit by introducing those smart algorithms in the first Pixel models. But the approach WAS innovative, in the sense that it blew the doors open for software to play the most important role in digital photography in the future. Nobody had tried to overcome camera hardware limitations through software alone before. It's literally a new field for modern photography. It's no coincidence that Apple and others were instantly inspired by it: it was an obvious game changer that opened up a lot of new possibilities. So that was clearly a stab at innovation from Google that succeeded.

Being a realist, this is what I am actually asking of Apple. I do not expect them to suddenly come up with a completely new computer form factor, for instance. But I DO expect them to at least TRY to do their part in the whole "all tech companies should contribute to the common well of knowledge" thing. Come up with some new stuff that we have not already seen somewhere before. At the top of my head 3D Touch was the last time Apple tried to do that in software, the Touch Bar was the last time it tried to do that in hardware, the App Store was the last time it tried to do that (in a game changer way I mean) in services. That's three things in more than a decade and it's nowhere near enough for a company of Apple's resources.

Your point that going after innovation alone can prove fatal for tech companies is correct but misplaced when it comes to giants like Apple. This is a company that can afford to make all sorts of mistakes. It's got a legion of fans that will support its every decision, it's got unlimited resources, it's even got a free pass from the media to not nail a new thing in its first version, if that thing has clear potential (other tech companies do not enjoy that privilege).

So there you have your answer: Apple can do it. Apple can take a shot at really innovative, different, even crazy new stuff and easily survive if they do not pan out. Have you ever seen anyone being angry at Apple for the MacBooks' Touch Bar? No. Most people do not use it at all and just shrug when you point out that it was a failure. It will probably be wiped out in the next 18 months or so. But it was at least something. Well, Apple should do MUCH more of that and riskier than that. Just my two cents.