Apple is a niche player like BMW is a niche player. Actually, BMW has less of the automobile market than Apple has of the computer market. That is not an argument that BMW aren't nice cars or that BMW is unsuccessful. Steve Jobs' little company has about $5,000,000,000 in cash lying around. Not a lot of computer companies can say that.
And Bill Gates' politics are just as odious as Steve Jobs'. I prefer Steve Jobs' relatively harmless posturing to Gates' quiet massive funding of pinko causes.
OK. Your point is...
Apple is a niche player like BMW is a niche player. Actually, BMW has less of the automobile market than Apple has of the computer market. That is not an argument that BMW aren't nice cars or that BMW is unsuccessful. Steve Jobs' little company has about $5,000,000,000 in cash lying around. Not a lot of computer companies can say that.
One problem. A computer is not a luxury car. Sorry to burst your bubble. Mac still has zero presence in most business sectors and that is what really matters unless you selling style (like pretending a computer is a luxury car). Mac's have the flash and big budget advertisements but where the rubber meets the road the WinTel world blows the doors off the Mac world each and every day. I drive a BWM.
If you are looking for style flash and a "lifestyle" - Mac is the big winner.
Mac clearly has the best hype. As a business tool a Mac is all but worthless. Mac is to computers what beta is to VCRs - maybe Beta is better but it really doesn't matter anymore although you can still watch movies with a beta VCR just a handful of companies use Macs for business.