[Person of Color]

 Captain Awesome, on 29 August 2011 - 05:03 PM, said:

It does, to a degree. If you marketed something as difficult to use and intimidating, it wouldn't sell well.

But you're implying that Apple's PC's are superior to other PC's. Rather, the distinction is that Apple builds their own software and hardware for their OS. Everything is proprietary for them. Building a quality Windows or Linux machine isn't hard.

Yes, I'm implying their hardware is superior quality and their software is coded better. You're right. I used to work in a repair shop that fixed out of warranty laptops. Macs only come in when their owner has busted them up, and every time they hold up better than a PC.

Any dipshit can build a quality desktop. Save for my video card every part in my machine is from a respected company. My video card was generic out of necessity, no one else was making 2GB 460's at the time. But laptops are cheap commodity items these days, and honestly they aren't as reliable as they used to be. Save for the final generation G4 laptops Apple has a reputation for quality, they are one of the few companies still building laptops I can call bulletproof.

You get what you pay for with computers. A $400 laptop is going to have everything cheap as can be, from the generic memory to the Seagate hard drive to the shitty LCD inverter to the crap quality VRM's on the mainboard. Don't expect the casing to survive a single fall, either. Every single part in those machines is cost cut down to every last component, from Chinese capacitors to cheap shrieking choke coils. A good quality PC or Mac laptop will last a lifetime. A low end Mac laptop might look weak spec wise but the component quality is phenomenal and it really is built to last.

As for Apple's software, OS X has been more advanced than Windows for a long time, but Vista and 7 went a long way towards closing the gap. In my experience, Apple has puts far more QA into their products.

The customer service is the other huge factor with Apple. You are treated like a customer, not a number. Apple Stores can repair laptops on site if need be, and unless the problem is very serious, Apple's support structure gives you the uptime other companies can't. Remember, when Dell sends a tech to your house, half the time he has to order a part and come back a second time.

With Apple, you definitely pay for that lighted logo, but there are many, many other reasons why as well.

 Captain Awesome, on 29 August 2011 - 05:03 PM, said:

I rarely have issues with my Windows machine, but I'm experienced enough to fix just about anything, it's no bother to me because I know what I'm doing or I'm smart enough to RTFM. I think as far as college laptops go, you'd be much better off buying a Windows machine and switching it over to a variety of Linux.

Most people aren't experienced enough to fix anything, that's why they want quality support. I can't replace my Dad's hard drive or memory from 300 miles away, but the techs at any Apple store can diagnose and repair his machine in an hour if it fucks up. Unlike Geek Squad, they actually know what they are doing, and they do live up to their "Genius" moniker, because unlike Best Buy Apple actually gives a shit.

As for your other point...Linux? Fuck Linux. It's shit for workstation/laptop use and a pain in the ass to figure out for the Average Joe. The software selection sucks and you have to open a fucking CLI to install software half the time.

 Captain Awesome, on 29 August 2011 - 05:03 PM, said:

Why would they update it? Everything is pushing toward being easy. GUI's are where its at and people still can't even use them. I can't believe how many times people have asked me for help telling me something didn't work, and it came down to the fact they couldn't find 'File' or something like that.

People are idiots. My family is tech savvy because they saw early on this was where society was going. My grandma still has an 80 pound portable IBM compatible from the mid 80's in her closet.

That brings me to my final point. Why do computer nerds bitch about Apple? They don't care about you. They don't want your business. Apple wants mainstream users and professionals who work with large amounts of audio and video. You're bitching about a product that isn't even catering to your market. Apple customers are willing to pay the extra money for a machine that still feels new and works great three or for years from now. Their customers want high quality support and exceptional stability that can only come from a closed ecosystem.

This is why Apple is superior. Are they superior for my needs? No. Your needs? Hell no. The needs of 90% of the computing populace? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. This is why I'll always run a Microsoft OS and why I switched to Android from iOS. I don't need the support structure and closed ecosystem that makes Macs great. I know how to do it on my own.

Pricing and frivolous lawsuits aside, Apple is doing nearly everything right at the moment. They have a premium product and they put 110% into everything they launch. Find me another company who does that...it ain't easy.