[WS:] What is it? Some sort of Apple cult? I thought we are supposed to criticize capitalism instead falling for commodity fetishism it creates ;)
Personally, I have nothing against Apple computer products other than being overpriced. What I dislike is the fake "corporate hip" image they cultivate and their marketing strategy based on appeal to snobbery.
Certainly, they are not alone. Others that come to mind are Starbucks and Whole Foods, which I also try to avoid. It is not that they have bad products (the quality is usually quite decent), but the idea of paying $5 for a cup of coffee or a vegetable while navigating aisles filled with obnoxiously overpriced snake oil and snobware and rubbing shoulders with a snotty yuppie/hipster crowd does not have much appeal to me. I prefer going to Asian, Indian, or Latino groceries where I can buy similar products sans pretension for less. Besides, navigating through aisles filled with schlock can be fun, you can be surprised what you can find there (unlike in sterile corporate yuppie stores).
I understand that overpricing is a part of the appeal - it is the same thing as yuppies paying top dollar for a few veggies arranged in a cute pattern on a platter in an upscale bistro to feel superior to a bunch of proles munching on meatloaf or fried chicken in a diner. Appeal to snobbery and conspicuous consumption - plain and simple. Veblen and Bourdieu ("Distinctions" http://home.mira.net/~andy/works/bourdieu-review.htm ) sum it up.
And for those who want to pull the aesthetics card - you do not have buy Apple to get a nice looking aluminum-encased computer product. I just bought one made by Asus, which is comparable to Macbook Air sans a large lit logo on the back of the screen advertising to the world that user is a member of the Apple crowd but costs about a third less. I also use Nexus 7 which is comparable to ipad mini but again costs about a third less. And it also uses an open source OS instead of a proprietary one. So it is possible to buy nice looking computer products for less.
-- Wojtek
"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."