To be perfectly honest, the more I use Mac OS X, the more I despise Windows for their updates and C++ and dotNET and Silverlight and this and that and this and that; a whole bunch of crap you HAVE to have installed to make all the programs, all the games, all the stuff you want to use - work properly. Mac OS X does not have that at all, which makes it much more enjoyable to use from the very first boot.
Just because Macs don't use .NET framework packages, that doesn't mean it doesn't need external applications/plugins. They still need Java and Flash for certain apps and sites, they need external applications to support formats not native to OSX.
Windows PC's have frequent updates for their device drivers which contributes to outperforming similarly equipped Macs in games. Mac frequently use archaic drivers often of the same version as their shipping software. That gives PC's an edge when manufactures are able to support their products independently of Microsoft (i.e. Nvidia, AMD, etc.)
When I have to use certain military applications designed only for Windows, I must invest in VM software and load Windows onto it. You could reboot the Mac using Bootcamp and into Windows but that means you can't use either at the same time. Booting Windows in a VM on a Mac with anything but a SSD is a painful experience. By contrast I never found myself working on a PC having any need to boot into OSX.
My view on the Windows update is the opposite, I find it incredible. MS does a great job keeping their products updated and often. Apple by contrast took at least a week before they patched for the Flashback trojan and by today's standards that's pretty slow.
But proprietary hardware is definitely something that puts me away from ever owning an Apple machine (aside maybe from the iPod Touch or an iPhone/iPad).
What is proprietary that concerns you? If you're talking about a Macbook Pro, even on a PC you can only change out certain things on a notebook thus I think they're nearly equal in that sense. For their desktop iMacs they're similar to certain PC machines which don't have separate video card slots and are designed in mind to use "as-is". I'm mostly a PC person who also uses Macs but I've never used an iMac and thought "darn I wish I could change out _____ with a different ____". The monitor is better than anything I've ever seen bundled with most PC packages and because "bundled" monitors are often subpar it's common that PC owners would want to replace it for something better, not the case with iMacs.
I would have to disagree on the "simplifying purchases" too. For example, Android is the most used mobileOS in the world, yet you still can't just pick up any phone and get to it. First of all, the whole Android Market VS. Google Play (on Android 2.1/2.2 VS. 2.3 and above) - the issues people still have to this day are staggering. Then there's still general knowledge one must have for the device they want to use, and how they use it: will this GPU support this game (reminds me of Apple's PowerPC VS. Intel lunacy), will I have enough RAM to edit videos in FinalCut(Pro), is an SSD better than an HDD, and do I have enough space for all my files on this hard drive etc.
None of what you said are meaningful. Android is very common but Android and iOS are 2 of the dominant mobile OS's being used.
One key difference is Android is severely fragmented, think about how many versions of Android is actively being used today and how many new devices are still unable to move up to ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) because the product manufacturer (and not Google) has to issue either an OTA (over the air) update or downloadable version.
-Android Froyo 2.2 (and all other versions 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, etc.)
-Android Gingerbread 2.3, 2.4 (2.3.1, 2.3.2, 2.3.3, 2.3.4, 2.4.1, 2.4.2, etc.)
-Android Honeycomb 3.0.x
-Android ICS 4.0.x
Android marketplace (AM) is also quite fragmented, there's many issues with unsigned Android apps making it into the marketplace, VUPEN reports that there are a considerable amount of malware within the AM and there's still issues where you can find apps that aren't supported on your device. Add to that, Android users can opt to enable a feature in Settings to download APK files from 3rd party websites completely bypassing any need from Google to certify that app as being legit (and not hosting hidden malware).
Compared to iOS, as long as your device is supported, nearly all can update to the newest release unless you own a very ancient iOS device, and this is just the OS.
With the iTunes and App store, they can purchase music, movies and apps respectively with confidence that they've been looked at by Apple. The risk of downloading and installing an unsigned app is practically non-existant. You won't see an app show up in the App store that isn't supported on your device. The only difference is Apple likes to play "mommy" and dictate what should and shouldn't be on your iOS device. For example I like using Wireless tools to help me troubleshoot wireless connections, on iOS Apple bars any app that does that.
Nobody but the absolute idiot just goes into the Apple store and buys a random laptop without thinking at all. If one considers different aspects of Apple's hardware configurations VS. the price, the whole OSX VS. Windows (Mac VS. PC) thing - and again chooses a Mac, then it's fine. They might not be versed in computers at all, but friendly advice from a neighbor/friend/parent/internet counts towards user awareness and their intelligence towards buying any kind of hardware, even from Apple.
Sure they do. I see people do it all the time. I know many people who buy Macbooks, iMacs, iPhones and have no idea why other than because it's an Apple product or perhaps because their friends have them. I know of people who only buy HP, Sony, Lenovo, Dell, etc. because of their brand recognition. Most of the computer buyers/owners aren't the most computer savvy people at all and people like you and I (and most on this forum) are the minority.
