The mouse hasn't changed in 40 years.
Windows 3.1's GUI beat the pants off Apple's.
Virtual desktops - maybe, but I still don't know anyone who uses this and not really sure most people know it exists.
Video calls - No idea what Apple has to do with this space at all unless you mean FaceTime? I don't think that was really a game changer.
It's been a really long time since I used Windows 3.1 or System 7, but I'm not seeing it; in what way was Windows better?
Also worth noting - the mouse was invented over 50 years ago and has basically been the same since, the biggest change was consumer devices moving from a ball to a laser. 41 years ago was when apple first released a product with a mouse. From the wikipedia page on the mouse:
> However, the mouse remained relatively obscure until the appearance of the Macintosh 128K (which included an updated version of the single-button[54] Lisa Mouse) in 1984
> Is it just "because Apple"?
To some extent yes - Jobs built a company that was less about innovation and more about polishing and packaging existing tech for the masses. This isn't bad - Apple has made some great stuff, and they have innovated some, but a lot of the innovation is in UX not tech.
Things apple "invented" that had been around for a while:
* the mouse
* the GUI
* MP3 players
* the smart phone
* the tablet
* virtual desktops
* video calls
And plenty more I've since forgotten. We used to joke about Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field in reference to this phenomenon.