For me the word "steal" in "Good artists copy, great artists steal" quote always meant: make it that good that the public will think it was always yours. The origin does not matter, because reality for people is what they believe in. If you will execute it better than anyone else it will be considered "yours".
Edit: At the same time there are also few options to make people believe it's yours beside exceptional execution, but that's not what the quote is about.
I like this. Build it so well the customers won't suspect a thing and will think you're the original creator. In a way, this is "fake it 'till you make it... the best version ever."
Apple is going to steal all the thunder again, this time in AR/VR, isn't it.
Hard to say. I can't shake the feel that that the consumer electronics Apple that we have come to know this last decade or so came down to them making products for one man, Steve Jobs. The iPod was basically tuned for his ears for one thing. If he didn't want to use it, never mind be seen using it, it didn't make it to the stores.
Edit: At the same time there are also few options to make people believe it's yours beside exceptional execution, but that's not what the quote is about.