Can someone please explain why imacs and apple products get such negative and horrible comments and reviews.
The true value in any product is shown when you have a problem and customer support needs to be involved.
I have had far more problems with non Apple products, but when things go wrong, the resolution process is painless.
My Macmini was the most unreliable computer h/w i've ever owned (in fact the only h/w i've ever owned thats failed, and numerous times) and made worse by the poor customer service i received. So this perceived value people place on Apple products doesn't hold true for me. Their h/w is no better than alternatives, the s/w is no better, easier to use or reliable than alternatives, and the customer service is no better (IME) they are more often than not more expensive though...
+1
Apple's support is no better/worse than anyone elses. Their kit tends not to play nice with other manufacturers like tvs/amps unless you buy a extra box from them like an ATV (and even then its not great).
There are better/easier music+video solutions out there (including windows and the much maligned mediaplayer)
In my experience, Windows laptops tend to get painfully slow over time (despite all the "cleaning"), and MacBooks remain fast even after 5-6 years of similar use.
.. going down to pc world at the weekend and im buying the whole bloody lot .imac 27inch,32g ipad4 ,5th generation ipod and apple tv ...
Why not go to an Apple Store?? If you inform Apple Store staff you're a home-based worker - eg, journalist, designer, etc - you'll get a 2.5% Business Discount - no questions asked - which'll be a fair few quid on that little lot 
Micr*s*ft Office / Word / Excel is not included, but there's a free open-source version, NeoOffice, which has frequent updates and opens / saves all Word / Excel docs - and can be downloaded from here
How does NeoOffice compare with LibreOffice? (both free BTW).
Haven't tried / wasn't aware of LibreOffice - cheers for the clue.
Was very happy with Neo', so much so I'm contemplating ditching Micr*s*ft Office/Word/Excel, which has dubiuos distinction of being the only program that crashes / has ever crashed on my Macs, although mercifully Word's never managed to crash OS X overall... 
Hmmm....interesting. Microsoft Office has never crashed on my MacBook Po, and my previous MacBook which is in use since 2006.
To be precise, it's only large-ish Word docs - 300+ pages - which've been worked on by multiple contributors/PCs that cause problems.
Also don't forget Apple's own refurbished store where you can get a significant discount.
Buying a Mac, is a little akin to buying a Mercedes. Its a lot of money for something you could get an alternative for much less, but its always desirable, generally reliable, safe, and loses your money a lot slower than the cheaper alternatives.
Buy it and enjoy it.
Good analogy. I switched to a MacBook a couple of years ago, and would be reluctant to go back (though have to when working, usually).
Also bought a Merc E-class...
Aye, the precisely-enginered 'clickiness' of a Mac's keyboard and mouse/Trackpad is very pleasing and akin to M-B/VAG/BMW switchgear 
My AEX turned up today. The packaging was in a neat little 4" x 4" box and everything inside just so neatly packed, even the power cord was carefully coiled and secured with tape that had little tabs left so the the tape could be easily undone.
All very simple little things, but it's these attentions to detail and the beautiful presentation that makes opening up an Apple product more like a box of Thorntons (posh chocs) than a bag of Revels like other products.
Plugged the thing in, instantly found on the network by my Macbook, software updated itself, settings adjusted, password set, firmware updated, restarted and fully operational in less than five minutes (including setting up the network printer).
That's Apple.
.. going down to pc world at the weekend and im buying the whole bloody lot .imac 27inch,32g ipad4 ,5th generation ipod and apple tv ...
Why not go to an Apple Store?? If you inform Apple Store staff you're a home-based worker - eg, journalist, designer, etc - you'll get a 2.5% Business Discount - no questions asked - which'll be a fair few quid on that little lot
Also, that 10 day turnaround for a replacement screen under warrenty miraculously turns in to "go get some lunch, it will be about an hour or so"
Just don't ask them anything hard!
Going back to the original question, I think some Apple users do more harm than good. I think the throngs of haters on the internet hate Apple users and what they perceive the company to represent, rather than the products themselves. Those "all haters are just jealous and wish they could afford an iPhone" comments probably don't help.
The argument that really confuses me is the "XXXX company is evil" argument. They are all pretty naughty, they just do it in different ways. Pick the naughty that conveniences you...
Jumped in late on this one. I for one love the apple design of products, in fact I am typing this on an iPad right now. However I draw the line on iMacs because I can build and equally powerful PC that does everything a mac can but for half the price. Love it's design, but overpriced for what you get.
Not over-priced if you weigh-up more factors than just the technical specification of the electronics for a given price. The complete product is a design masterpiece, built incredibly well, with a high-quality display, decent OS and (on the whole) above average longevity and low depreciation. All those things need to be factored into the equation when people talk about Macs being poor value, yet frequently they are not
Jumped in late on this one. I for one love the apple design of products, in fact I am typing this on an iPad right now. However I draw the line on iMacs because I can build and equally powerful PC that does everything a mac can but for half the price. Love it's design, but overpriced for what you get.
Anyone with a mind to slotting cards together in a Stickle Brick fashion can assemble a home build Pc, but not many would be able to put it all into a beautiful case that is a screen to boot.
About the only product that is not so competitive is the Mac mini, which competes against some very capable Micro ATX Pcs that still have optical drives.
No denying its well built, as are most Apple products. Personally I own an iPhone and iPad so I can't argue about beauty as clearly I like them. Also I find that their products generally feel and look the price you paid.
PC's can be beautiful too, a nicely assembled water cooled PC looks awesome.I know what you mean about the screen, in fact it's high time they innovated a 30 inch display with a good response time for gaming!
My only other counter to a PC over a mac would be ease of upgrading, much easier with a PC 
Plugged the thing in, instantly found on the network by my Macbook, software updated itself, settings adjusted, password set, firmware updated, restarted and fully operational in less than five minutes (including setting up the network printer).
That's Apple.
count yourself lucky you haven't had to sort out Apple + Cisco issues! Some choice words to be had then, and not in a good way!
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Micr*s*ft Office / Word / Excel is not included, but there's a free open-source version, NeoOffice, which has frequent updates and opens / saves all Word / Excel docs - and can be downloaded from here
How does NeoOffice compare with LibreOffice? (both free BTW).
Haven't tried / wasn't aware of LibreOffice - cheers for the clue.
Was very happy with Neo', so much so I'm contemplating ditching Micr*s*ft Office/Word/Excel, which has dubiuos distinction of being the only program that crashes / has ever crashed on my Macs, although mercifully Word's never managed to crash OS X overall...
Hmmm....interesting. Microsoft Office has never crashed on my MacBook Po, and my previous MacBook which is in use since 2006.
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