Before I answer let me pause and say I'm prepping myself for some hate mail here from some yahoo with too much free time who tries to convey the nuances of some Underworld sample. Don't send me the email. Because you know in your heart of hearts that all this technology driven dance music all sounds the same. Anyway back to that answer. We'll only remember that U2 were the innovators because U2 is a rock band.
People love rock musicians.
People don't love computer programmers. They don't play computers. Anyone can play a computer. Here's an exercise to prove my point. Take a drum machine.