I understand about your pessimism regarding apps. Let us see what apple had that made so many apps to be ported:

1. Easy to use interface
2. App store
3. Good Hardware
4. New OS and single form factor
5. Apple brand name

Now let us see nokia. Please dont compare earlier apps to maemo 5 because even though the platform is the same maemo 5 is for the masses.

1. From the user interface it looks like the UI is very easy to use. Of course the only problem is that unlike apple everything is so customizable that iphone users may be confused in the start... but i assume will get the hang of it if they can stay a little long.

2. Nokia already has app store. Nokia's policies will be way better than apple.

3. N900 has the best hardware.... there is no question about it.

4. Maemo 5 is a brand new OS for nokia unlike symbian which was just scaled for touch screens. And there are no variants like the symbian. This takes out a lot of varaibility within the applications in comparision to symbian apps. There are 100s of phone models using different symbian os with different packs and firmwares. The n900 atleast initially will be the only one and we know meamo will be on touch screens only. So less confusion and more usability

5. Apple's brand name is a bid advantage especially among the fan boys. Nokia cannot compete with apple with brand name atleast in the US.

Let us see what will happen..... time will tell.