Windows vs Apple arguments are always pointless because no one's opinions are going to change.
I'm not a big Windows or Bill Gates fan, neither am I an Apple follower, but IMO people don't give Microsoft enough credit for what they've done. They like to focus on the negative aspects of the company. Capitalism works in strange ways. We all strive to succeed, but at the same time there's a line that you can cross where people feel you've overachieved.
I.E., take a look at Toyota's situation. They're about to become the largest car manufacturer in the world and they've just entered themselves into the world of NASCAR, but at the same time they have to watch out for the backlash from the American public. We can all agree that 30 years ago Toyota wasn't in the same spotlight. They worked hard to earn their reputation... I don't see why people are making such a big deal now that they're trying to get into NASCAR and getting people to buy their trucks.
So how is it different for Microsoft? Apple has had all these years to beat them but they didn't. I believe that if you have a solid product, it will sell itself and the numbers will back it up. Case in point, Toyota cars and the iPod. I admit that the iPod/iTunes is the best mp3/music manager. If their OS was just as great of a product, their share of the OS market would be much larger than where it's at today.
When Apple used IBM's PowerPC RISC processors they had an edge when it came to multimedia editing applications. But now that they're using Intel chips, what's the point of spending twice as much for an Apple workstation when a PC could do exactly the same thing at less than half the cost.
There are some things I like about OSX (mainly the GUI), but I find there's more things I hate about it than I actually like. There are just certain things about the OS that doesn't make sense. But I can see why some people like it. My in-laws are big on Saabs. I find their cars to be less than average and with too many weird quirks. But Saab is still in around because there's also a very strong loyal following. There will always be people that just want to be different and standout. I would never pay $100+ for designer jeans because I don't see the point in it, but some people will only buy those expensive jeans, even if the material is made out of crap.
I like comparing Apple to Saab because both are somewhat of a "trendy" brand. Saab isn't very big here in SoCal, but if you drive up to the Bay Area, you'll see a lot more Saabs there. Same thing with Apple. If you're ever in San Fran, you'll see Apple ads everywhere and it seems like almost everyone is walking around with their iPods. If you don't think there's any truth to this, just do a search for the locations of Apple retail stores. Most are located in higher end shopping centers or in a richer area.
Apple Store - Store List
If anyone is going to compete against Microsoft, I think 10-15 years from now that could be Google. Apple has had many years and they haven't even made a dent. If I had to put money on this, it would be stupid to put it on Apple. I believe they'll still be around producing hardware though.
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