Nothing new there. Microsoft has always been very open their research, and Apple hasn't. They prefer to talk about products they will actually ship vs. things that might happen at some point in the future.

Apple simply isn't doing the research, at all. You can see the results in things like Swift (and Swift's insane bugginess).

I wonder what self-respecting scientist would want to work in a company like Apple where publication of research results is prohibited?

I was afraid of what might happen to Apple after Steve Job's death. He said Tim wasn't a gadget guy. I am trying to give Apple a lot of grieving room, but enough is enough. I'm particularly irritated because I'm having OS X and iOS problems simultaneously. I'm actually so impressed with Microsoft lately, I'm thinking of putting all my meager savings on their stock. This is coming from a guy who literally thought Microsoft was evil.