Apple has managed to position itself as a lifestyle product as well. It's not just the functionality, it's a brand in the way that Microsoft tried (and failed)

Apple has managed to position itself as a lifestyle product as well. It's not just the functionality, it's a brand in the way that Microsoft tried (and failed) to be with Surface. Samsung positions itself in a similar way in the cellphone world, but for Apple it's everything they make. People will put up with more bullshit because it's also a fashion statement. And on top of that they have very good interop between the different parts of their ecosystem, and make going outside of that ecosystem painful, so you need a very good reason to jump ship once you've gotten into it. They have a pretty good moat, and that buys time for any missteps to be corrected.