it just seems pretty illogical for anyone to spend more for something that does less and is more demanding to deal with. for example this dude bought an I-PAD and i asked why didn't he just get one of those Tablets or Honeycombs (or even a laptop) since they are more cheaper and offer more options...his answer was a blank stare. this blank stare is basically the only justification and reason i get from people who buy apple instead of PC or other similar products that offer more and cost less.
Normally this kind of thread would be moved to the computer forum.
Then again we're dealing with an Apple vs Everyone scenario. It's been tried again and again.. your post is nothing new.
I think in the end the market will decide. Your anecdote isn't going to sway anyone and is only going to cause a flame war in GenOT which I want to avoid.