Again, anecdote. I've had a very minor problem with my MacBook Air(the case was making a creaking noise when pressed in one place) and got the entire case replaced without any question at an apple store here in UK. That was the best customer experience I've ever had with any company. My point is that I'm not sure why you say this kind of treatment is only limited to US.
I had a problem with a MacBook Air (the hinge had an issue)... They asked for $800 to fix it. Never dropped, everything still worked, the hinge just would not stay up.
I'm in Canada :(
I guess Apple gives better service in countries where they dominate mindshare? They dominate the US market and presumably the UK market.
In Canada, they're still fairly strong... but I also see a ton of Surfaces everywhere.
