It's true; a lot of people buy them simply for the brand or style. It's their prerogative. People do the same with cars, clothes, furniture, etc. all the time.

Apple has done a better job of building their brand name into a luxury brand than any other computer manufacturer, bar none so it's also their prerogative to reap the benefits. Any company that wouldn't do the same in the same position frankly wouldn't be worth investing in.

It's also true that Windows has incrementally evolved to the point where anyone can use it (everyone can toss that "people who are too stupid to use Windows use Macs" claim right out) making that ease of use advantage less of an issue even though MS Windows tech support lines across the globe aren't exactly shutting down.

And it's also true that OSX is far more flexible and customizable than is widely recognized simply because most Mac users have no need for many of these lesser known features. It is based upon Unix and has a command line interface that the average user will never need.

But all that aside, most people who buy Apple products simply enjoy using them. It's not because they're guillible, too stupid to know any better or have too much money or are fond of throwing away what little disposable income they have on luxury items.

If anyone doesn't get it, they should try spending an hour or so in an Apple Store to see the demographics of their customer base. They're always packed. If you haven't been, you might be surprised.

I love how people keep trashing apple and clap from ms when windows mobile 7 is almost nothing but an inferior version of the iphone and now they are working on an OS that works on tablets. Also, what was that called? the zune?

The sony crowds have already forgot that what saved sony ericsson's ass is selling laggy "overpriced" smartphones that LAG and keep on LAGGING.

It is because they have grown up with them in publishing... After all what self respecting "journo" does not own a Mac. It is a throw back to the 80s when this actually meant something.

Considering the majority of journalism is now done online, the use of Macs in pioneering desktop publishing in the 80s has no bearing on that.

I'd wager if you stepped into the office of any major publication you'd see nothing but Windows based PCs barring any personally owned Mac laptops.

Also, the post iPod generation of Mac users bear little resemblance to the Apple consumer demographics of either the 80s or the 90s.

In the 90s they were the oddballs perceived as clinging to a proprietary platform that was doomed to extinction, much like Amiga pundits.

ive been using pcs all my life, they are cheap and get the job done, well done,. i won't be paying 2000 for a mac that  have 40 or 30% less specs. and for a few yrs mac have been using intel. so i don't really get why they are so overpriced. i won't buy them. that's just my opinion. andwindows works with everything , i can say the same about IOS.( and windows doesnt crash! ive been using windows vista for almost 2 yrs, i and have had zero problems with it.)

I would agree that Apple is overpriced and depending on the media source, overhyped.

I read recently that Apple is set to become the the most valuable company in the world and that surprises me.

But at the same time I respect them for what they have achived and where they have come from since the dark days of the 90s.

What annoys me is when people question why others buy Apple products and argue there are cheaper alternatives.

It's not your money so why give a shit about what others spend their money on.

It's like me buying an expensive classic car from the sixties and being told that I can have a faster, better car for half the price. So what, I buy what I want. I work for my money, not you.

Why does the media worship Apple?

Isn't it obvious? Well, there are several reasons:

The first is that people who want to work in the media are the kind of people who are most likely to like Apple. Jobs in the media appeal to those who are non-technical (even if they claim to be "nerds") and who think they're more intelligent and creative than they actually are. These are exactly the kind of people Apple targets and exactly the kind of people who are liable to fall for the latest trends and buy into Apple's tactic of selling a "lifestyle" rather than a gadget. Basically, the media is dominated by hipsters, and hipsters love macs.

The second is that Apple is very good at selling itself. It's a great advertiser, and there are, no doubt, "benefits" for giving Apple good reviews. Apple know that positive media coverage is essential to their success, and they're willing to spend a lot of time and money making sure that every piece written about them is a hagiography.

The third reason is that life can be made very hard for people who say bad things about Apple. Even if the company itself doesn't do anything directly, its fans will attack if they see an Apple product being criticised, and will even attack if an Apple product isn't being praised highly enough. It's not sufficient t say that an Apple product is good; you have to say that it's a revolution, or risk having hundreds of angry comments and letters from macfags. Apple fans often say that they like Apple products because, unlike PC nerds, they don't have the time to spend learning how to use or build a PC. This is true: they don't have any spare time because they spend every waking minute browbeating anyone in the media who dares to criticise Apple. You wouldn't think they were only 5% of the world's computer owners; they shout loud enough to make you think they're 95%. See this piece, written by someone who is known to be a macfag, about his own and other people's experiences with rabid Apple fanboys harassing him for not praising Apple enough. Even an article that's 90% positive and contains only one minor criticism will incur their wrath. I'll wager that a lot of people respond to this bullying by caving in.

What?? Apple is crticised here (VGCharts) as much as anywhere else. Your "See this piece" can be contradicted by a million others.

The MS (Windows)  fanatics attack Apple as just as fervently. And guess what, the MS Windows fans are the HUGE majority.

Apple success has been a pain in the backside for the MS masses.

Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Kinnect got exactly the same "brilliant" reviews as an Apple product.