Apple's marketing works. It works very well in fact. Almost too well.
It's not designed to attract the WORLD to their product. They know they can't convert the hardcore PC user (yet), and they're expensive. So, their ad campaign won't touch that fuzzy spot in you, Stone, but it might touch that spot for some of the jackasses of the world.. who will go out and buy a Mac.
I personally desire to own an Apple. I hate computers, but I need computers. I am about --> <-- this close to being able to dump Microsoft Windows totally, my laptop and workstation are both running Linux now. Thanks to OS X, Apple has been able to convert a former Apple hater into someone who just wants the fucking money to buy the damn thing. I used to despise Apple. Back when Calliander was still using his Performa, it was around the time where Apple was doing horribly financially and I was just waiting for the day for them to fall off the face of the earth and strand all the moron users they have.
Now, many years later, there are moron users everywhere.. using Linux even. There is no escape, so now who cares. Years ago, the majority of computer illiterate users would have been on a Mac.. now they're on PCs just because PCs are the cheap mainstream devices and Microsoft has done a good job of making the morons of the world believe Windows is easy too.
When it really comes down to it.. who gives a flying fuck. Use what you want. Choice is good.
There are certain things I love about the Apple's. There is OS X, which makes it something I can use for work. This OS also allows me to have a good browser (IE) and use a few key applications.. Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Office. All running on a very stable G4 in a well designed case with specialized components for the model. PC users can hate Apple out of envy for not having a computer that can do such fancy things. The PC world is restricted to certain levels of backwards compatibility due to its design and OVER standardisation.
This all comes back to me disliking computers. An Apple workstation isn't really a computer too much, its just this thing that does what I need to get the job done, without the headaches or hassle of requiring TWO machines to do the same job, and not as well.
I may be in the process of changing my mind though. I almost have IE6 installed on my laptop (Linux + WINE), and I'll be installing Office tomorrow. But its still not the same because these things aren't running in their native environments, so they're slower and clunky and may not function 100% correctly.
Computers suck.