Given that Apple is so US centric (higher prices in Europe, delays in introducing new services), it's no surprise that Apple has more success in the US than world-wide.

Remember this is the land that voted George Bush in -TWICE! Where sports, not academic achievement are the all important aspect of their 'universities'. Where guns CANNOT be removed from public hands because it's their right to have them even though they have the largest gun related crimes/injuries and deaths in the world yet you still cannot swear or show a nude on TV. Where capitalism is king and they have all been brainwashed into accepting whatever the TV tells them is true or they absolutely must buy because its the current 'thing' to have. Along comes Apple with buy, buy, buy, you have to have this or you're nothing marketing and oohh look how shiny shiny shiny it is. Don't forget most American purchases or bought on credit as they must have it 'now'. Lets see just how good these figures are in 1 or 2 years when the credit crunch really hits, especially as Apple seem insistant on targeting the fashionable crowd and charging a premium. Got to pay it back sometime and the banks are closing in on you.

Not many people know but only about 1/2 of Apple's sales go to the US market, if you look at DeLL, HP and others, it's similar...

Apple has pushed harder than anyone to get iTunes Stores in most countries, keep in mind it's not easy since it's more of a "legal" problem than a marketing one. Also remember MS's Zune still hasn't made it to Canada, much less the UK or Asia.

Apple's Mac sales over the last 10 years have gone from about 540,000 units every 90 days to 2,100,000 or about 23,333 every 24 hours. Not bad considering Apple still only sells into the high end of the PC market.

Apple will overtake DeLL in the coming 2-3 years and remain No. 2 for the next 10 or so years, probably won't be No. 1 until 2022 or so.

Ah , the old dumb one in twenty five with more money then brains buying overpriced cheaply made under contract new stock , with 24 smarter more intelligent users buying else where at more reasonable prices !

As for Vista , the corporate world after SP1 will still be buying Windoze XP till the bitter end , or will it live on like the venerable old 2000 ?

Actually the numbers are about one in five for buying Apple - 21% and significantly Mac buyers are the ones with the money (and the brains).

At one in 25 you are lumping in all the corporate buys where the only one who makes the choice is the CIO and it depends on which beige box manufacturer builds him a bigger swimming pool.

Customer satisfaction with apple is about 87%, no other PC maker comes close to that. There is the best and then the rest.