While Apple's gated ecosystem and lust to control every aspect of their software experience definitely has its upsides (safe, simple, conform), I remember a considerable amount of people raising a stink over Apple's approach back when their approach started and ended with having to sync your iPod through iTunes. However, Apple gear was the most innovative thing out there, and offered features the competitors just outright did not have. (Certain Apple devices still have this benefit today.)
While enough people will prefer the gated approach in the future regardless of what the competition are up to, I can easily see many of the complainers of old (who have been sticking around for the sole reason that Apple was *ahead*) jumping ship, if they haven't already. I'm one of those people who prefer open solutions, it was really just a matter of Android becoming viable, and honestly, despite finding Jelly Bean amazing, I still think the iPhone is the more complete package. For how long yet, is a legitimate question, though. The choice is no longer as crystal clear as it was back in the day, Apple need to step up their game: the vast majority of people don't care if Android started off as a derivative, they care for what it offers them today. (The fact that Pratchett has blatantly copied off Tolkien's work hasn't stopped millions of people from reading his books, either. People don't care if something is derivative, they just care if it's a good derivative with its own set of benefits, and Android most definitely is.)
"Can't top perfection" > I laugh every time I see that comment. An OS isn't like wine, it ain't gettin' prettier with age. I wanna see them whip that comment out in another 5 years, should iOS stay pretty much the same way it is now. Of course, by then the competition won't only be .2 steps ahead, but leaps and bounds ahead. I predict iOS limping painfully behind Android (and other up and coming operating systems) in the near to medium future, and no amount of "been there first" or "never change perfection" is going to alleviate their ailment in the long-run.
And now we get people claiming that doing the conservative thing is Apple's way? No, they've always been game changers, conservative only in their hunger for control, certainly not in their approach to innovation and breaking the mold. "Bold, Innovative, Progressive" are words which I associate with Apple, indeed, words most people associated with Apple, "conservative" being the term most people had down for Microsoft. The fact that people are starting to see Apple as the conservative entity is quite telling, in its own way.
And no, I'm not some jaded old ****, I just really feel that iOS 7 needs to drastically step up its game, perhaps even break the mold once more, show people how far ahead a mobile OS can be, instead of shuffling behind Android and hollering "me too!" like it seems they've been doing lately.
And yes, the poll is confusing. You'd do well to re-examine it, OP.