I actually don't have to imagine this. I don't live in a "western" or affluent society.
> Most people can either afford used stuff or pay Apple with their _savings_ for new and shiny.
While this has been historically true, more recently this is not true. Of course you can't but a brand new $500 Apple laptop, but for < $1000 you'd be hard pressed to find a better laptop than the M1 Air. The closest comparison is the Dell XPS and it's much more expensive, less performant, and has way more issues. Also one of the biggest reasons people buy apple laptops is because most of them easily last 4+ years. All mine have, and so have many of my coworkers and friends. I'd be lucky if my windows laptop crosses the 4 year threshold without an issue.
> the new hardware has quality of Chinese toys.
I'm assuming you're being hyperbolic here, but it kinda makes your whole response sound ridiculous. Even the biggest Apple critics generally agree hardware quality is much better than most western manufacturers. Have you ever used a Chuwi laptop?
> When it happens not once or twice but with majority of your Macs
I guess you've been extremely unlucky. Some people get shocked by lightning multiple times. I wonder if they stop going outside.
> I'd be lucky if my windows laptop crosses the 4 year threshold without an issue.
Just one of my Apple laptops stayed fully functional after 4 years and it was the single non-"Pro" laptop: MacBook Air 2012, bought in a rush (so store-spec'd with 4GB RAM). And after 10 years it's still the most useful Apple laptop I possess and RAM size is its biggest issue.
I found that not expecting more than 2 years of lifetime from a laptop (any laptop) is the most reasonable and healthy approach for me nowadays. And I respect that you may have other view on the matter.
> Of course you can't but a brand new $500 Apple laptop, but for < $1000 you'd be hard pressed to find a better laptop than the M1 Air.
We may have different approach to what's "better". Specs? You're probably right regarding some (and majority thereof) usecases. Usability? Different thing. I expect my computer not to break and I expect my operating system not to change things that work over night. Not a case with Cook's Apple's hardware nor software in my experience.
> > the new hardware has quality of Chinese toys.
> I'm assuming you're being hyperbolic here but it kinda makes your whole response sound ridiculous
I'm talking about the utter trash made by Ivy&Cook in 2017, called MacBook Pro. This was the purchase which made want to stay away from Apple's computers and this feeling is strong 5 years later (see? Cook is influential after all).
Until Linux is reasonably stable and useful (I'm not even waiting for "fully functional") on M1/M2, I'll stay away from these to avoid ads and other marvels coming to the garbage called macOS which replaced OS X.
I don't despise Apple as a whole. Just the current state of Apple under the leadership of unimaginative pencil pusher Tim Cook.
> Some people get shocked by lightning multiple times. I wonder if they stop going outside.
To borrow from your wonderfully colorful reference, I still go outside - just stopped standing with my hands up in the open field during lightning.
> Most people can either afford used stuff or pay Apple with their _savings_ for new and shiny.
While this has been historically true, more recently this is not true. Of course you can't but a brand new $500 Apple laptop, but for < $1000 you'd be hard pressed to find a better laptop than the M1 Air. The closest comparison is the Dell XPS and it's much more expensive, less performant, and has way more issues. Also one of the biggest reasons people buy apple laptops is because most of them easily last 4+ years. All mine have, and so have many of my coworkers and friends. I'd be lucky if my windows laptop crosses the 4 year threshold without an issue.
> the new hardware has quality of Chinese toys.
I'm assuming you're being hyperbolic here, but it kinda makes your whole response sound ridiculous. Even the biggest Apple critics generally agree hardware quality is much better than most western manufacturers. Have you ever used a Chuwi laptop?
> When it happens not once or twice but with majority of your Macs
I guess you've been extremely unlucky. Some people get shocked by lightning multiple times. I wonder if they stop going outside.