I answered with a question because no-one here is in a position to actually answer any of these questions -- it all really hangs on what was said and done behind the scenes; I'm just playing devil's advocate and providing an alternative point of view.

My opinion is that upping the max. resolution for a graphics card is neither especially innovative nor difficult (early reports seem to show that the chip is not really fast enough for it anyway -- see the review on anandtech). While producing a 15" retina display may be more difficult than a 10" model, it seems to me that it's more of a yield and cost issue (but perhaps there's a lot more involved).

On the other hand, having the vision (okay, the deep pockets also help) to get all these previously non-existent pieces together, and to get it working with reasonable battery life and heat, could be seen as innovative -- if any part of the MBPwRD is.

(The redesigned fan is actually my favourite part -- I hate whining high-pitched laptop fans).

As for your final example -- there doesn't seem to be any innovation in it at all? Innovation is about coming up with something new. Let's change it a little -- suppose your boss came up with a complete idea for a genuinely new web app and asks you to build it; much of the innovation is his, in my opinion. If you do something genuinely new in the implementation, then you may also be innovating.

I guess my point is that (I believe that) the product can be innovative even if the parts aren't, and especially if they are.