[homosaur]

Then why compare Apple with these companies? Compare them with other systems integrators and product people like HP or Compaq or Gateway, etc. Apple does manufacture the most competent desktop environment available, even if the core is open source, they made all the desktop GUI and the dock that every OS (including Windows 7) is now ripping off. HP never managed anything like that.

Besides, clearly the UX, making the better case, and the marketing, etc. is actually the hard part, because there's dozens of companies making chips. There's only one out there releasing Apple-level consumer goods.