Why is Apple so used and as big as it is?

The hardware that goes into the machines does not match the price tag, the iPhone 5 is the only £500+ phone I have seen not to have a quadcore CPU and the laptops are very weak for their price

Added (1). The only reason I'd buy an iMac is if I was into video editing, they are known for their ability of being able to handle video editing easily

Well like Linus said

Having an apple logo on a product somehow increases the performance by a tenfold, they utilize this fact to price their products.

I personally think that its just because its mainstream, but personally their products are nice. If I had to get a mp3 player i would choose ipod. But your right the price tags are Way too high.

Cuz ppl are idiots and don't care about the product they will buy anything with a apple logo on it

In price per performance none of Apples stuff really adds up. Its poor VFM and aimed at a niquche fashion market., but and this is a big but I would still trade my computer for a Mac Book pro I still think there laptops are good so don't get me wrong just overpriced. And it wouldnt be running windows.

I have no idea why people waste their money on apple products, especially where computers are concerned. Except for serious graphics design, apples are no better then just about any other computer on the market. The iphone has now met its match because of Samsung which is now outselling the iphone.

Being a computer tech, I've run them all but have never owned an apple/mac and never will. I prefer to spend the extra bucks on big fast video cards and other such toys.

What difference does a "quadcore CPU" make? Apple design the processor and the OS so they can optimise it to exactly their needs. The iPhone CPU steps down to a few hundred Mhz when it is able to as that is all that is required for many tasks.

In what sense are the laptops weak? I have always found them very reliable, great value for money and with features and software not readily available elsewhere. I have yet to find anything else that comes close to my needs. I would guess that is why most people use Apple's products.

Try this for starters…

One word "hipsters"