Apple is an unusual computer company, well for a big company anyhow. Apart from being founded in a garage by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac in 1976, what makes them different is that not only do they make their own hardware and chips but they also write the specialised software that runs on it. Unlike the vast majority of computer companies that continually churn out PC after PC that meets the age-old "IBM compatible" stereotype, Apple have resisted the temptation to join with this type of manufacturer.
They were the first company to release a graphical user interface (GUI) for their operating system. The GUI has today become a standard on nearly every operating system. Even the almighty Linux has a KDE, which is a type of GUI, to allow users to take part in WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer) controlling. There is even an X server for Linux that allows a remote session to be exported across the network to a Windows type environment for ease of use. This X server also bears a very similar resemblance to the Mac OS layout. In later years however most other software companies adopted this type of design for their systems. Most notably Microsoft who marketed the Windows signature almost to death by concentrating so much on layout that they forgot about reliability.
Apple however have never been a company to give anything less than 100% to their software in particular their operating systems. Throughout the years the Mac OS has been much talked about by business people in particular. It has a pleasing layout and most of all it provides power and in a reliable and robust environment. This is what has led to Macintosh sales being among the highest in countries such as Germany, America and other large countries where business demands reliability more than anything.
Apple has always adopted the attitude that simplicity is the way to do things. Trivial matters that can be decided by the system should not bother the user and this philosophy has cascaded through their networking and server software. Mac networks are some of the most stable and powerful networks in the world. They provide top class security alongside user friendliness for both the client users and the administrator that sets up and manages the network.
The processors used in Mac computers are different too. They are what is known as a RISC (reduced instruction set computer) as opposed to the CISC (complex instruction set computer) that we are more familiar with in our standard PC's. This type of processor is incredibly powerful and lightning fast. Current RISC processors running at 400MHz are outperforming the 450MHz Intel Pentium II chip by a factor of almost 2:1. Although it may be thought of that Apple is a rather unheard of company due to the lack of marketing in most European countries, Apple is far from dead and gone. The mere fact that they don't advertise so much should be some indication of just how well their sales are going!