You forgot to add the following caveat which must be applied to all such blanket comments, which is "...in my opinion".
Other people obviously disagree
because Apple has sold quite a lot of these machines (although a decreasing amount in the current economy)
Apple fairly successfully combines "premium build quality", "good to very good performance", and a brand identity that attempts to convey a message of "cool technology" and aspirations of luxury and success (aka "The Starbucks smugness look-at-my-shiny-new-computer-that-cost-a-bomb" effect).
You can certainly pay less for a computer with the same or better performance if that is your only criterion, but Apple has never targeted the market than only cares about raw performance. They are going for a combination of technical excellence and brand-image to command a premium price. Apple is simply not interested in competing against a "performance per dollar" metric with other manufacturers (because they would not score highly)
I have used quite a few laptops in my life, about half provided by work and half bought by me. It's been a mixed bag, but overall build quality and "user experience" has been best on the Macs by quite a noticeable margin.
I've had computers from Apple, Dell, Lenovo/IBM, Asus, Microsoft, HP, and German OEM "Vobis". I've had some kind of problem at some stage with pretty much all of them, including Apple, but on balance I have preferred using the Apple Macs.
It's not just the performance, which for pretty much all of the Intel Macs was very similar to other machines with the same hardware, but the overall "user experience". This includes properties such as:
- physical rigidity and strength (metal cases just flex less than a lot of the plastic ones),
- (Mostly) good quality keyboards, excellent trackpads, and high quality display panels
- Low "maintenance overhead" for system updates, incompatible software resolution etc,
- Reliability and up-time (without issues in OS or hardware) seems to be better than many Windows equivalents (in my experience)
- hardware compatibility with the OS - Apple controls the hardware and software so problems are rare - which I have found to be a big time waster with Windows / Linux computers
- Generally better battery life (by a large margin with Apple Silicon)
- Generally better designed operating system than Windows, which is more intuitive "for many people".
- Solid Unix OS foundation that has value for some IT tasks
- Lower learning curve (at least for non-technical people)
- Subjectively, nicer appearance, design, and "feel" than many other laptops.
Whether these qualities make the price reasonable or not depends entirely on the individual, and their own criteria.
For me, I value and look for the following in a computer:
1) Reliability and predictability - does it turn on and do what I need every time, for years on end, without failure
2) Does the computer OS and hardware "get out of the way" and let me focus on the task, rather than the tools? Do I have spend significant time "maintaining it" with software updates, or resolving problems?
3) Is the performance and hardware specification adequate for my tasks? e.g. CPU/GPU, battery life, screen quality
4) Are the human interface points (keyboard, touchpad, screen) reliable, and pleasing to use for hours at a time
5) Does the build quality inspire confidence and is it able to withstand some abuse for mobile workers (e.g. being dropped, banged into desks, shoved into backpacks or cases etc.)
6) Does the machine have the necessary I/O for my peripherals and do these work without fault?
7) Does the machine have good ergonomics, easy portability, and look and feel nice to use?
8) Is it going to last me (or the next owner) for several years of hard usage (at least 5-10 years)
There may well be Windows PCs that meet all of the above, but they must be pretty few and far between, because I rarely see anything that catches my attention in computer stores.
Bottom line, if I only had the money to buy an offering from one of the mainstream Windows laptop manufacturers, then I would be able to do pretty much everything that I do on my Macs, but given the choice, I prefer the Mac "experience". I wish they were cheaper, and I nearly always look at the prices with some dismay after I've chosen a suitable specification.
At the risk of using a very tired and long-running car analogy, the Mac is probably a "Mercedes-Benz of computers" - not the fastest, not the best "bang-for-buck" in terms of features, but comfortable to drive, reliable, good looking, and luxurious to be in.
