The difference between Microsoft and Apple is that Microsoft was controlling (or trying to control) the whole ecosystem of PC makers. Apple doesn't want to do this, exactly because they don't want to open their platform for other players the way Microsoft used to do. What they want is to maintain tight control over their closed systems (iOS/MacOS X). And this is not really news, Apple always played by these rules and their customers know how it works.
This way of operating is what most tech commentators don't really understand. I think the beauty of this strategy is that you don't need to have a monopoly to make the most profits. At any time, there will be a majority of the market using other products, but since Apple is optimizing their platform for quality and high profit margin, they will command the leadership in profits (if they continue doing good products that maintain their customers happy, I mean).
This way of operating is what most tech commentators don't really understand. I think the beauty of this strategy is that you don't need to have a monopoly to make the most profits. At any time, there will be a majority of the market using other products, but since Apple is optimizing their platform for quality and high profit margin, they will command the leadership in profits (if they continue doing good products that maintain their customers happy, I mean).