So, you are now the Overload who gets to dictate what people need? Your name isn't Mooch, is it?
Look at the build quality of any Apple product, and then check out the support after the sale - compare and contrast against the competition. If you would look at the lifespan of your average laptop (~3 yrs) and the average lifespan Apple laptop (>5 yrs), you would see that not only are the Apple laptops better built (more robust, better screen, better keyboard, better battery), upgrading the OSX is like $20 compared to upgrading MSFT (Vista to 7 means >$100).
The resale value of the Apple product line should tell you something. All you have to do is be smart enough to look at the data - and wise enough to disengage your emotions. Look at the facts, stop listening to those voices in your head.
Now, before you go off on an emotional tyrade and accuse me of being a Applefanboy, let's add some cold hard facts. I own exactly 3 apple products: a 10 yr old iPod (still works just fine, in my office right now), the iPhone 4 and the first generation iPad. I have no Macs at home. I have owned 6 Windows PC, and currently have 3 Win7 PC's at home - but after using Win8 on my laptop - I can tell you my next PC will be a Mac.
You can go buy an overloaded i7 Apple 15” laptop @1799 (only 4gb ram) but 90% of computer buyers will do perfectly fine with a Dell @$500 laptop that has just as good build quality has more modest CPU but has the same 4gb memory. You can blow your $$$ if you want