Dear Sindalf

I'm surprised I actually typed all that up in IB, that last post consisted of SD-level content. How ironic that I posted this thread to troll in the first place...

Then again, freak is actually the first guy I met on FAKKU who isn't a mindless hater, so I felt obligated to pay him some respect disregarding the fact that this is IB.

First of all let me just say that I never even bother replying to mindless Apple haters - and that's why I have rarely "defended' Macs on these forums. However I can see that you're not one of those people, but you and I are in reality the same - people who are in love with tech and gadgets. Thus despite this thread being made in Incoherent Babbling, I will give you a coherent response.

Let’s consider the basic 13” MacBook Pro for a moment. At this time of writing, the core specs of this $1199 laptop is equivalent to a $699 HP Pavilion. Prices change from time to time, but the overall difference between Windows computers and Macs are known to remain fairly constant. This 70% markup is what’s infamously labeled the “Apple Tax”.

Let’s look at the two machines, identical in specs, from a neutral perspective.

For starters, the MacBook Pro has 10 hours of battery life with Wi-Fi turned on. At the time of writing, the equivalent HP has 5 hours at the max. The MacBook Pro also features a very thin and light unibody enclosure, a backlit LED with an ambient light sensor, a backlit keyboard, a motion sensor to detect a sudden drop, the glass Multi-touch trackpad, and the patented MagSafe adaptor. These things may seem minimal and useless to some people, but in conjunction with Mac OS X, for some users, it can significantly improve the user experience.

It’s really a personal preference thing when people choose to buy Macs. For a person who only looks at the core specs of the machine, getting a Mac is completely out of the question. For a person who really cares for the small details and a more refined user experience, a Mac may be worth the extra “Apple Tax”. That’s their decision. There’s no need for people to point out that “Macs are a ripoff.”. That’s their own opinion. Most people who buy Macs know perfectly they’re paying more, and in their opinion, it’s worth it. In fact, 70% of people who buy Macs today come from using Windows - I think they know what they're doing.

The reason why Apple is hated is not because they have bad products. Most of the haters know that Apple makes good products deep down in their hearts, just like you said. They have made significant contributions to technology and we all know this. In fact, everything I’ve written so far are common knowledge to many haters. The main reason why Apple is still hated is because of their smug users.

As I said at the beginning, I am not an Apple fanboy. I understand that in a debate about Mac VS PC, Mac users often justify paying the “Apple Tax” by talking about how they prefer OS X’s user interface, the apps, and the build quality like I talked about above. You will then start hearing things like “Your PC sucks. Macs never crash.” or “OS X is just so much more secure than Windows.” Let me clarify right now, the people who talk about the user interface such as I are in a completely different group to the ones saying “Macs never crash.”

One of the greatest misconceptions of the tech community today that drove many people guys to hate Apple is the idea that all of Apple’s userbase are mindless fanboys who attack everything non-Apple and praise everything Apple does. This is definitely not true at all. As a person who dual boots, I can say with confidence that both Windows 7 and Mac OS X Lion are both very well established and polished operating systems. Android and iOS both have their strong points and weak points. Against a very knowledgable Windows user, I don’t expect to be able to hold up in a fight saying that Mac OS X is technologically superior to Windows, but I don’t think I’d lose either. They’re both very capable and well-designed. Arguing the superiority in the first place is a completely pointless topic with nothing to gain. I’m just a person who prefers OS X and iOS because of personal opinions, something everyone is entitled to have a difference one.

As much as Apple fanboys are in the wrong for worshipping Apple, the unjustified hate people shove in Apple’s direction is equally unjustified. In the eyes of a neutral bystander like me, these haters no different to the fanboys. Just like how they ignore Apple’s faults and turn a blind eye to all the great products everyone else makes, they're doing the same thing, ignoring Apple’s achievements, and turning a blind eye to their great products. How ironic it is that these people, fueled full of despise against the fanboys, are becoming the very people they hate in the first place.

I have a HD800 that cost $1,500 as proudly displayed in the topic photo. Is it worth it to pay $1,500 for headphones? To you, probably not. To me, heck yes. Some people would pay $1,500 for a good bike. I wouldn't pay more than $200 for one. Are the people who paid $1,500 for a bike stupid? Of course not.

This very logic applies to Apple's products which have a premium on them. People who buy them fully understand that they're paying extra.

French boobs are way superior. I mean, we're known sluts, aren't we?

Or give me money for servers or hentai/anime DVD/BDs for ripping. I'm totally open to this.