I actually agree with you. The comparison is not correct, but useful. It reminds me of Box's comment that "all models are wrong, but some are useful". This comparison can (and is/will be) abused, but it's still useful for most laypeople.
Technical people are telling laypeople that X is useful. X isn't useful on its own because (1) it's wrong, not just inaccurate and (2) even if conceivable as an oversimplification of a complex issue, it misleads people. It leads them to think Apple is like a country or worse that countries are like companies.
This is how we get to "Brawndo, it's what plants crave".