Apple is a particularly difficult case, because they control every link in the chain of supply from manufacturing to retail and pay less than 1% effective corporate tax from their profits. From every step of the supply chain.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to compete with Apple without having a similar end-to-end control of manufacturing to retail. If a company has to purchase their products from a manufacturer or sell their product to a 3rd party for retail, they are losing to Apple because that flow of money can't be hidden from the tax man.
Europe is currently facing major financial issues and a significant portion of this is that money gets funneled away to the US (or offshore accounts of US corps) without the fair share of taxes of their profits left here.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to compete with Apple without having a similar end-to-end control of manufacturing to retail. If a company has to purchase their products from a manufacturer or sell their product to a 3rd party for retail, they are losing to Apple because that flow of money can't be hidden from the tax man.
Europe is currently facing major financial issues and a significant portion of this is that money gets funneled away to the US (or offshore accounts of US corps) without the fair share of taxes of their profits left here.