[Maggie Leung]

bakura, I think you're assuming that people buy from Apple because they don't know better. In a sense, you're right, because some people are frazzled by tech, so they turn to Apple. There are plenty of people who buy Apple stuff because they don't care to mess with tech, too. I can't speak for anyone else, but in my case I could mess with tech stuff. It would take me more time and aggravation, is all. In both instances, buyers are paying for convenience. No need for others to "protect" us from ourselves and parting with our money.

My in-laws are the kind of tech-inept people you're probably worried about. They tend to get themselves in computer jams and then not know how to get themselves out. Every so often, they call my techie husband in another state and have at times asked him to fly in to help. For their sake and his, they'd be better off buying Apple stuff. The time and aggravation they've wasted on PCs has cost them, just not money.

One way or another, people who don't know tech pay. They can pay through money, inconvenience, time and/or aggravation. Apple offers consumers the choice of paying money for convenience. There's nothing wrong with that. People pay for all kinds of services they could do themselves, yet choose not to.

To attribute all of Apple's success to marketing is silly. I bought my first Apple product during iPod's 5.5 generation, for instance. I apparently didn't fall into Apple's marketing clutches before, lol. I've never owned a Mac, and I don't plan to.

If Android devices end up offering the user experience of Apple, I'll give 'em due consideration. At this point, the Android market is the Wild West. I read about people who buy Android devices running into problems just getting to the Android Marketplace, or having problems with various versions of Android that read like a dessert menu. No thanks for now.