Apple is making its iOS free? Tell me again how it's the innovator.

Let's face it, the only reason people are excited that Apple is making Maverick free is because it's Apple.
Others had pioneered this before them. Look at anything that Android has done or Linux's Ubuntu or Fedora. These are all free systems with upgrades. Although, granted, Linux is not well known. It still makes it feel like Apple has become what people have deemed it over the years: nothing but a bunch of hipsters.
It also begs another question how well does this system work? I haven't had a lot of problems with free systems, but it worries me that Maverick will be Apple's Vista.
Microsoft is falling waaaay behind this year though. Not only have they started the release of the X-Box 1, but my prediction is that their decisions to not already allow their upgrades to be free is going to put the proverbial nail in the coffin.
However, Microsoft is super screwed this time. It was bad enough that they made the decision to release the X-Box 1 (which will probably only be bought by loyalists), the system does everything to invade in a person's privacy, and they have  but now that Apple has announced that they will no longer charge for their upgrades... Well, see ya Microsoft.