Open solutions always win in the end. Which does nothing to explain Apple's success.

I recently relistened to Steve Jobs' official biography on Audible. I've listened to this audiobook more than any other, and by a wide margin, though I cherry-pick the chapters that are about major Apple products and events, and skip the bits about Jobs's personal life, Pixar, and other things that are not of interest. I strongly recommend this book to all readers of this site, no matter your feelings about Apple or Jobs. It's an incredible story.