In a capitalist society, we seem to be quite happy for people/corporations to do what whatever they have to do to succeed. Look at Tesco for an example (like Apple, the way they treat their suppliers leaves a lot to be desired).
Steve Jobs was a control freak, he knew how to preach and get people to follow religiously. He knew how to manipulate the press to ensure positive coverage. I don't think he ever pretended to be a saint either.
Steve was also considered to be very rude (check out some of his real emails to people) and abrupt. But isn't that what being a CEO is about? Be honest; it's the nasty ones that usually succeed most. If you were nice, you wouldn't push the boundaries and dare punish those who don't do what you want.
Right or wrong, Steve got the results. Apple products are about more than hardware. It's a lifestyle, and I bought both a MacBook Air and an iMac as they are really nice looking computers that serve me well. I also love OSX (even saying that as someone who used PCs before, and still runs Windows 7 on a PC now).
There was (is) always something weird about buying something from an Apple store. You almost forget you're spending money; but you feel like that payment is getting you membership into a special club. Steve Jobs did what no other company has ever been able to do.
Many companies try and stage big launches and get people in the media, friends and others to queue up for a stage managed midnight launch. Apple didn't need to do that; it had millions of people willing to buy the product from a well planned choreographed presentation alone.
I suspect Apple has a vision to take over the world by taking a percentage of everything you buy; apps, games, newspapers, movies, books, film - 30% of everything is why Apple could soon have another $50bn cash in the bank.
I love Apple. I also hate Apple. It's a very odd feeling as they can wow me with a new laptop, then annoy me with some relaunch of a service that has been around for years and now claimed to be something they invented.
Nevertheless, Steve Jobs was one of a kind and now is not the time to slag him off. Nobody is perfect and at least he knew what he wanted to do from the outset, and managed to make it happen. Nobody was ever forced to give him money or buy into the Apple mindset, after all.