Don't forget the shelved tech...
A lot of the "cutting edge" technologies have been around a long while, probably sitting on a shelf. Marketing has a lot do with what technologies finally make it out to the average consumer - for example, look at how Intel and AMD trickle out their processors, squeezing every cent they can out of the consumers before "introducing" new, faster chips. Although I understand capitalism (at least a little bit) I hate seeing useful technology shelved for long periods just so the big companies can make a few more dollars.
Cheers,
Gary W.