How so?

Microsoft let the hardware go open-source and generic. And that was an incredible win.

Conversely, Apple and Google ruined handheld computers (which we now call smartphones) forever. So far, anyway. They're fundamentally unsecurable. It's at least nontrivial, and perhaps impossible, to prevent surveillance and tracking.

You won me over with that compelling argument.

I disagree. If Windows were a lot better, the open source revolution might not have gained quite so much momentum. If IE was a lot better—or rather if they didn't let it stagnate—the very concept of installing alternative browsers might never have entered the mainstream zeitgeist.

Same thing is true for Apple's OS, which for many serves as an expensive several year pit-stop between abandoning Microsoft and embracing open source.