Awww poor big daddy can't decrypt a widdle phone. Suck it up sunshine. My data is mine and you ya thieving snooping law breaking federal wankers can just deal with it.

1. They know how to design something pretty.
2. They know how to keep it functional.
3. They know how to charge a fortune.
4. They know how to keep customers coming back for more.

Regarding Number 1.
The Mac Book Pro is truly an engineering marvel. It set the bar back in 2013 and still is going strong five years later. Their was plenty of hype however I come from a PC assembly background so I know the computing industry and what it offers. I almost bought a second MBP and locked it in amber as a future piece of history. We could look back and say this is when a company called Apple set the bar for laptops and their future. When they showed what a labour of love can deliver. It is a testament that many people are still using the machine from five years ago. It is only a shame we havent really had an upgrade to match the needs of today. It will come but their taking their time. Today we see many machines with the same attention to detail but thats because Apple showed us all what can be truly done with the resources and the motivation to do it. It really surprises me that MBP is still not a strong seller for them, but thats mainly due to price.... and at the moment, featureset.

Regarding Number 2.
Even when they had a love affair with design they made sure the piece of kit that ended up in your hands was highly functional. They didn't severely change the dynamic just refined it. They continued the superb UI design and worked hard on introducing more interactivity based on the constantly evolving world around them. In fact they were often a sea of interface stability in the upheavals and tectonic shifts in the industry from windows 7 through to 10.

Regarding Number 3.
They cost a lot. While I didnt mind the price tag three years ago what has shocked me is the price tag now for something that is quite similar to what we had then. This is the first time I am looking at alternatives. The $5,000 pricetag for a laptop is just too much. I refuse to spend that much on a machine. That is what it would cost to replace what I have in my hands now. While I dearly enjoy their love for athetics and design purity their comes a point where I am going to say this is just too expensive.

Regarding Number 4.
One reason why I have an Apple ecosystem is their support. With the iPhone's, and Apple Airport Extreme Router who's wireless kicks ass, multiple iPad's and an iMac for the wife. I can arrange an appointment, walk into their store and the first person I have to talk to is the guy checking I have an appt. Then I just sit and wait for my engineer to look at my stuff and we discuss the problem. Try that with anyone else. Apple's retails stores are a support haven. Their peole are knowledgable and if they can't help you they will escalate to someone who can. I have found this is something no-one else can do as well. No one has this kind of amazing warranty support. I have had phones and parts replaced out of warranty. Not always mind you but their support is excellent. This is the main reason I am pro Apple. Their company has a support mantra that is second to none.

You guys crack me up. Windows 10 is lightyears ahead of previous editions and you know it. But all you do is bitch and whine when something doesnt meet your personal opinion. Pull your head out of your collective assholes and look at the rolling green fields on which you stand.

This is not even a question anymore. Millions of applications around the world today run on platforms they were never written for because of docker and the containerization technology. It has turned the development model on its head, spawned devops and it run by most of the top 500 companies in the world today. Go and have a long look at https://hub.docker.com/ and pick your application. The beauty of this technology is not only does it not care what platform you run an application on, their are literally millions of docker images available for you to choose from so you don't have to build them yourself. You get to stand on the shoulders of giants and get to work immediately. Example Case: This user installs Docker on his home NAS. Now can run ANY application listed on docker hub.