I'm not sure there are that many Mac apps that have been built since the Intel switch that are used by most of the types of folks that are new to the Mac. Lots of Mac users don't run much at all on their Macs besides Apple software other than perhaps Firefox and/or a 3rd party IM client.
As I see it, the Intel switch was mostly important to get Macs being used (and thus recommended) by geeks for the same reasons it's been popular among non-geeks: the ability to run Windows (and, of course, to a lesser extent, other Intel operating systems).
This, along with the increasing importance of the web (and thus lessened importance of the specific OS platform), the spread of Apple retail stores, and the iPod/iPhone halo effect I think are the main reasons Mac sales have done so well.
Because of that mix, it's hard to tell how much the platform's openness has been important to it. It certainly hasn't hurt any, though, and it's a very likable trait in a "desktop" OS!
The fact that most Mac users don't use many apps on their laptop, beyond what's built in, and what they do use is probably free is the one thing that makes me think the app store bubble will blow over.
That doesn't seem to be the story on the iPhone OS devices, though. Everybody I've ever seen with one, regardless of tech savvy, has it loaded down with apps and is excited to show off their favorites.
Mobile apps tend to be "bite size" (approachable), centrally discoverable through the App Store, very low cost, be built around rich media, and the user feels a control over their management that makes the experience more like the "lightness" of visiting a web page than the "heaviness" of traditional desktop app management which is marred by unpredictability, multistep install processes, reboots, conflicts, and a general feeling of lack of control. I think users really like software... they just hate all the bullshit overhead that has usually gone with it.
As I see it, the Intel switch was mostly important to get Macs being used (and thus recommended) by geeks for the same reasons it's been popular among non-geeks: the ability to run Windows (and, of course, to a lesser extent, other Intel operating systems).
This, along with the increasing importance of the web (and thus lessened importance of the specific OS platform), the spread of Apple retail stores, and the iPod/iPhone halo effect I think are the main reasons Mac sales have done so well.
Because of that mix, it's hard to tell how much the platform's openness has been important to it. It certainly hasn't hurt any, though, and it's a very likable trait in a "desktop" OS!