[jmull]

> their devoted following does seem to be more cultish

I don't know about that. I seem to see a lot of irrational Apple hate, but not that much irrational Apple love.

I think they are far from perfect in many, many ways. But so much criticism of them appears overblown, short-sighted, irrelevant to me, or just plain wrong.

I look at it like this: all things considered, balancing various concerns, what's the best option for me for my given needs? Following that philosophy I've ended up with a lot of Apple gear. Am I a fanboy because a better alternative doesn't exist?

[sbuk]

Exactly this. In fact, I’d suggest it’s a massive circular argument. A lot of the vehement ‘defence’ of Apple I see is usually in response to some outlandish claim being made against them, which is often made in response to a gushing anecdote of how great Apple are. It has been ever thus.