As a primarily web-based advertising company, Google benefits immensely from a more feature-packed web. So does Mozilla, both because they depend on ad revenue and because they are betting very heavily on the web as a platform. Even Microsoft is heavily invested in web technologies, not only because of Bing but also because HTML5 forms the backbone of Modern (Metro) UI.
Apple, on the other hand, has no reason to want the web to flourish. They make money by selling hardware, and by managing a closed ecosystem of apps and services that revolve around said hardware. iAd focuses exclusively on apps, not webpages. Cross-platform web technologies that try to close the gap between web apps and native apps are a threat to Apple's bottom line. The more people abandon the web in favor of native apps, the more money Apple makes.
At least in the days of IE6, Microsoft didn't really care about the web. Apple nowadays, on the other hand, has every incentive to sabotage the web. I don't think it's just technological purism that makes them reluctant to allow alternate rendering engines to work on iOS. They need to ensure that apps are the only way for developers to bring advanced features to iOS users. Because they're not competing on the web like the others. They're competing against the web.
Apple, on the other hand, has no reason to want the web
to flourish. They make money by selling hardware, and
by managing a closed ecosystem of apps and services
that revolve around said hardware.
You have the key thing correct: Apple makes money on hardware.
So it doesn't follow that they would want to stamp out or ignore the web. The web is a huge part of what customers use Macs and iOS devices for, and Apple makes the same amount of money on a piece of hardware whether you use it to browse the web or use the $0.00 Facebook app.
There's no denying that Apple wants you to buy into their ecosystem of apps: it helps bind you to their devices. But there's no incentive for them to extinguish the web.
At least in the days of IE6, Microsoft didn't really care about
the web.
No. The web was directly opposite to Microsoft's goals. Microsoft made money on operating systems and applications. If the web "won" then you wouldn't need a Microsoft OS any more, and Microsoft would "lose."
Factually incorrect, WinRT certainly supports HTML5 apps but it supports .Net and C++ too, all of the WinRT implementation code is either native C++ or .Net.
If Apple really wanted to make Web Apps feel like a second class citizen, they wouldn't be adding Force Touch, custom AirPlay control support and Picture In Picture support to the upcoming version of Safari. Those are deep, native app level features that aren't even Web standards yet.
I assume Apple is underinvesting in safari simply because they have bigger fish to fry, and they are notoriously understaffed with competent engineers (or have bad project management).
Apple, on the other hand, has no reason to want the web to flourish. They make money by selling hardware, and by managing a closed ecosystem of apps and services that revolve around said hardware. iAd focuses exclusively on apps, not webpages. Cross-platform web technologies that try to close the gap between web apps and native apps are a threat to Apple's bottom line. The more people abandon the web in favor of native apps, the more money Apple makes.
At least in the days of IE6, Microsoft didn't really care about the web. Apple nowadays, on the other hand, has every incentive to sabotage the web. I don't think it's just technological purism that makes them reluctant to allow alternate rendering engines to work on iOS. They need to ensure that apps are the only way for developers to bring advanced features to iOS users. Because they're not competing on the web like the others. They're competing against the web.