Although iPhone was not the first touch screen phone and iPad was not the first tablet, they were implemented so much better than their respective competitors that you might as well consider iPhone and iPad were the first smartphone and tablet. But that's about it.
I am irritated that some of the features the other products had before their Apple counterparts are presented like they were done by Apple first. Most of the time, someone else already have done what Apple considers 'innovative'. No, what you named iSomething was already being used by other people and it's not invented by you, Apple.
I agree with a lot of this. Apple for the most part has historically taken pre-existing ideas and just made them better. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing because usually they do a pretty good job.
This attitude is magnified with the Apple hardcore fans. Sorry, not hardcore fans, but by iSheep. Hardcore fans are people who knows and understands how Apple operates and considers it fine and they are okay with technology not being led by Apple. iSheep are different kind of people, and they are so oblivious to the life outside Apple that to them, if Apple is not using something, it's because it does not exist and it won't exist until Apple invents it.
Just like any cult, there are some that are blinded by ideas and philosophies. I wouldn't say that hardcore fans are necessarily cultists, but often times they are rather irrational when looking at the bigger picture. Many use the defense mechanism that their share prices are at an all time high, so therefore that's valid justification for how great Apple is to its users. Just like sport teams, much of this behavior is usually exhibited from fairweather fans. You can see this evident in the forums just by looking at the News & Rumors section. You'll see the same overly-pro Apple supporters rush to support pro-Apple articles. On the contrary any con-Apple articles, you'll see them in hiding.
In general, Apple is a company who waits for a tech to mature enough to be used seamlessly by the end user and then implements it. Sometimes they implement their own version of it, sometimes they contribute to the maturation process of a tech, sometimes they just wait for it to mature. Of course, sometimes they just invent (or innovate) it. That is totally fine and actually that's what made Apple such a big brand, imo.
I actually think people don't give enough credit to Apple's marketing (which is basically their branding). Ever since the iPod used U2 for their iPod commercials as well as their Mac vs Apple commercials with Justin Long Mac ad commercials, it very much resonated with many current and future users. They really turned it around during that era imo. Also when they shifted over to using x86 architectures for their Macs, that was also a huge change too. Many including myself desired a unix based OS that had a better UX/support than say Ubuntu or Redhat. So in some way, they kind of listened to feedback and also started defining their brand a lot better for a larger population.
Apart from that, Apple mostly gets hate for their price, their closed ecosystem, their way of conducting business.
This. As a former Apple hater, I despised the amount of praise and love that Apple got back in the day. Logically, a lot of it didn't make sense to me. They were infamous for selling overpriced hardware that performed worse than their PC counterparts. I disliked the iPod at the time despite how creative marketing was for forcing you to use their POS iTunes software to load content. I tried to get on board with Sansa and Creative Labs music devices, but from a UX pov, nothing beat the feel of that clicker wheel. When I got my 2011 Macbook Pro and started doing some serious work, the "it just works" applied very well.
Same irrational hate is directed to every popular brand, to be honest. Do we all love Google, Microsoft and Samsung? Do we all criticize them rationally? I've never had a BSOD since Windows 8.1 and I'm using Win 10 on my desktop now, but it's still a thing to hate. People still think that AMD processors will heat to the point of explosion, Samsung users are still hating the TouchWiz interface of their Samsung phones. People still are talking about "you're not holding it right", bending iPhones, exploding Note 7. People are still comparing cheap Android phones to a premium device, the last iPhone. I think internet is to blame here.
I don't think you hear as much hate about other brands because frankly they don't get the amount of press that Apple gets. I agree that the internet makes voicing your opinion much more accessible. It almost acts as a creative outlet.
BUT, as a person who tried to get into Apple ecosystem, I think Apple is not making the best decisions lately. I could not justify buying iPhone X for the price and features. The smartphone is the missing part for my total integration to Apple ecosystem and despite that, I could not justify buying it. Also, the latest Macbooks are not compelling me to upgrade to one of them although I have the base model of Macbook Air with 128 GB SSD and 4 GB of RAM. I hear that people need some sort of adapter to connect their new iPhones to their new Macbooks and that's disappointing for a company whose biggest selling point is their ecosystem.
Honestly, the iPhone X is a great piece of hardware. Is it the best iPhone yet? That depends on the user. Some here use the iPhone beyond what I use it for. I only use it to play games, use apps, send texts here and there, take pics with the camera occasionally, etc. I am definitely not a power user, don't send emojis, and don't care for AR. I miss the 3.5mm plug. And lastly, FaceID has been worse for me.
One of the worst debacles recently is like you said the Macbook and iPhone integration. The 2015+ macbooks only have USB-C ports. You basically need a USB-A to USB-C dongle to charge the iPhone on current Macbooks. Also the current iPhones are encouraging wireless headphones. I can't count the number of times on the plane where I am listening to music via the lightning -> 3.5mm jack, then needing to charge and realize i need to stop listening to music in order to charge. It's almost a passive aggressive stance by Apple. Isn't it ironic that you need dongles to use 1st party products together?
Siri arguably is one of the worst features that Apple provides in their products. It adequately fulfills some of people's requirements, but as a whole compared to others, it has underperformed.
Some great objective reads that highlights some of Apple's shortcomings and strengths that parallel your thoughts:
https://stratechery.com/2016/apples-organizational-crossroads/
https://stratechery.com/2017/apples-strengths-and-weaknesses/
