I disagree entirely.
Apple's release rate of the iPhone differs little from Samsung's time scale on their S3,S4 & S5 range.
Apple still lead the pack in every department except screen size and storage.
I was very disappointed by how difficult IOS7 was to use compared to IOS6 thanks to the terrible interface decisions which made it difficult to read and navigate.
This was exacerbated by there being no increase in screen size to read the thin text or any increase in storage when the iPhone 5s was announced.
So when I upgraded from my 64GB iPhone 4s instead of going for an iPhone 5s I went for a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 instead.
I added a 64GB SD card bringing it's storage up to an Apple whopping 96GB, meaning I could fit my entire music library on it too!
And it's massive screen makes reading on it a pleasure - it's a VERY good phone!
Quad core processore 3GB RAM, 13 mega pixel camera - I like this phone a lot.
And with all that power, surely it performs better than an iPhone...well actually...no!
Samsung try and fight on Spec because they have too, but in real world performance the specs are meaningless unless you are comparing other Android handsets.
They are totally irrelevant when comparing them to the iPhone.
The 13 mega pixel camera on my Note 3 for instance isn't nearly as good as the 8 mega pixel camera on my wife's iPhone 5 - and TBH not any better than the camera on my old iPhone 4s either.
The quad core processor and 3GB RAM make Android use smooth on the Note, but the iPhone 5 is still more responsive and Apps still load quicker too, despite it only have 1GB RAM.
Turn magnification on the Note 3 and there's a significant lag introduced on text input and on the response of the keypad on the phone too - none at all on the iPhone.
Even though it is much improved after the KitKat update, my Note 3 is still significant slower opening the camera than the iPhone 5 and that's despite the Note 3's MASSIVE spec.
Also audio playback is MUCH better on the iPhone than on the Samsung Note 3.
So despite the 'inferior' spec, the iPhone 5 is still quicker, more responsive, sounds better and takes better photographs than Samsung's Galaxy Note 3.
Compare the reviews of the finger print technology found on the iPhone 5s and the brand new Galaxy S5 and most agree the Apple implementation is much better - so they lead in this too.
So you assertion that Apple is somehow playing 'catch up' is completely erroneous...they are not, they still lead the pack.
However they do need a bigger screen.
Most people these days use their phones as much for reading text messages and e-mails as they do for talking and compared to the larger Android handsets like my Note 3, doing this on an iPhone 5 feels very antiquated indeed.
One of the reasons I went for the Galaxy Note 3 was the stylus. The idea of being able to quickly write notes by hand was very appealing and it works quite well.
The reality though is that it's really more of a novelty and no quicker than just typing it on the keyboard in most instances.
There is very limited 3rd party support for the stylus on the Note 3 too, it's much more of a gimmick than anything else and the reality is I rarely use it now.
It's been good using the Note 3 the past 6 months, but despite it's spec and its great screen and all the advantages that brings, it's still not as satisfying an experience as an iPhone.
With the recent IOS7.1 update repairing some (though not all) of the damage Apple needlesly did to the UI in IOS7, if Apple do bring out a nice big screened iPhone 6 I'll be getting one.
So behind...naah!
Is there a point here?