Why has Apple spawned so few startups?

The San Jose Mercury News reports:

With a portfolio of smash-hit products and a reputation for innovation, Apple at first glance seems like an ideal place for a young entrepreneur to work before leaving to start the next big thing.

But in reality, the world's most valuable company plays by a set of rules that few other firms can get away with -- let alone a startup. Matt MacInnis learned that the hard way after leaving Apple in 2009 to found Inkling, which helps companies publish content to the iPad and other mobile devices. At Apple, he'd come up in a culture where most key decisions are made by those at the top, and secrecy is valued above all else -- but his young company had to move quickly, and it needed press.

"I had a lot of bad habits when I came out of Apple," MacInnis said, recalling his reluctance to speak to the media and feeling like he had to make every decision himself. "It took me years to break them."

MacInnis' experiences illustrate some of the peculiar baggage that Apple entrepreneurs carry with them into the world beyond. The tech industry's most influential company imparts powerful lessons -- with an emphasis on design and the customer experience that have bolstered its own phenomenal success and enhanced the prospects of some of its progeny.

An article well worth your time.