The assumption of a 'cult' being behind Apple's success is dangerous, and a trap many companies could fall into. I'm sure there must be some Tru Fanboys out there, because everyone talks about them. I've yet to meet one, though. The fact of the matter is Apple makes really great products.

OK, I'm using an N9 right now. I love the look of the device, the buttonless operation, double tap to open, swipe... But the reality is my iPhone is way more stable and much easier to set up. The battery on it also lasts clearly longer and the antenna seems stronger (antennagate was mostly FUD). The font rendering is also better (or, possibly, the selected fonts have better defined properties in a typographical sense), the screen more precise and colour rendering is nicer.

Nokia is where it's at because it had rubbish products in comparison. My S40 wasn't horrible, but I switched to an iPhone as soon as the 3G came out. But even before the iPhone I suffered just looking at people using S60.

Having said that, I think the N9 is the best product Nokia has produced in many, many years. One that really shows the huge potential there could have been, and one that appeals to people's imaginations. The moment I saw an early prototype, I was immediately keen on it. Its fate is a sad thing.