John,
I have some friends at three of the largest companies in the world or the U.S. at least. They have entire departments to test security equipment. My company is one of the top 50 largest financial institutions in the U.S. However our equipment testing department is me, myself and I.
Having stated this, two of these companies when it was anolog cameras used to use the same cameras we used. One of them uses the same DVR. One of them used the alarm panel that the inegrator had as their in house product. not a major third party manufacture such as Bosch (Radionics) or DMP.
One of these companies is just now I learned starting a pilot program to install and test a top IP camera manufacture.
I don't discount what you say but often they will only test what their inegrator suggests or what a sales guy pushes infront of them from a manufacture. Even the big boys can't test everything. In the ensd they do have a bottom line. And being in the security industry for a large corporation I realize and so do the security folks at apple and Google or any one else for that matter they realize they are a cost center and not a profit center. so their security budget may be larger than mine but it is not a blank check.
There may be a better DVR/HVR/NVR out there better than mine, but I simply can't test every manufacture out there. And I can't change brands with every installation. I need to find a unit I like, satisfies my needs and wants and move forward with it until the manufacture no longer meets those needs or I find my needs and wants have changed.
I woukld put money on the fact that Apple and Google are no different because in the end of the day they do not have an unlimited budget.
For example, I chair a robbery investigators group here in Texas. It comprised Banks, Credit unions and law enforcement. Its been around for 5 years come March. In 2009 a friend of mine at one of the top five banks in the U.S. (not to disclose the name) used to sponsor at least 2 of the monthly meetings. The group has about 150 people in the group and on average any given month we have 50 people attend. In the last two years my friend hasa been unable to sponsor eeven one meeting because his boss says its not in the budget. I have local mom and pop banks with only two locations who sponsor a meeting and can afford lunch. This same large bank woukld not even pay for him to attend the R.O.I.T (Robbery Investigators of Texas) conference last month. A cost of $300 plus travel from San Antonio to Austin, TX a mere 1 and a half hour drive. He even offered to travel all three days and have no hotel expense and they would not fund the event. So large does not mean much these days.