I have lurking in this thread and I am not abandoning ship ever given that the alternatives do not fit my needs. Although I work mostly in Information Technology and work with multiple operating systems (e.g. Windows and Linux) in addition to macOS, which I first used in 1994 during my childhood, I feel that macOS fits my needs since it's Unix based and I still have access to proprietary software such as Adobe products and Microsoft Office, which is not available on Windows.
From past experience, I have to deal with fixing more problems with Windows compared to MacOS. My parents use Windows and I have the system locked down with Deep Freeze. Still, I do not like how buggy Windows 10 is with the lack of quality control compared to previous versions and how Microsoft shoves advertisements by installing bloatware such as Candy Crush Saga and other useless apps, popups telling you to use Microsoft Edge and forcing ads for OneDrive in the File Explorer window.
Add that to the forced biyearly updates that can break application compatibility adds more to the mess of Windows 10, especially with the build 1809 debacle with the update deleting files. The only good versions of Windows 10 is the LTSB/LTSC editions, which has done of the advertising crap, bloatware and forced feature updates and more akin to Windows 7, the last good version of Windows besides XP and 2000. Of course, Microsoft do not want you to use that version because it doesn't have any Microsoft services (e.g. Onedrive, Windows Store, Edge, etc), which they make money off of. It's not so surprising why they want to force people off Windows 7 and Windows 8 by not allowing users to install these operating systems on systems with newer processors such as Kaby Lake and Ryzen processors and forcing them to use Windows 10.
As for Linux, it's not a good alternative either. While it's good operating system for scientific and server applications (I use Linux for my web server), it's not good for desktop use. It lacks a lot of the software I use such as Photoshop, Microsoft Office and others and it's problematic with some hardware, especially nVidia graphics cards.
Furthermore, I had more issues with hardware from other OEMs, such as Dell and even the Surface line. The poor quality of Dell and HP computers are the reason I switched back to the Mac. While Dell's business lines of computers are better, they are not without problem. My sister who is working on her doctoral in Engineering used a Dell Precision M4700 and after 5 years, the dedicated graphics cards stopped working and replacing it didn't solve the issue. Her computer lasted 5 years while my 2012 non-retina Macbook Pro lasted way longer and it still works as new.
I also own a Surface Pro 2 without a type cover. While it's okay and allows me to run desktop applications, the tablet is very clunky to use and it develop a yellow tinting on the right hand corner, which is a known issue with Surface Tablets. Not to mention, the Surface line is just as unrepairable as Apple's laptops, and probably even worse with the use of strong adhesive seen in iFixit's teardown video of the Surface Laptop. I ended up getting a used iPad Pro 2016 9.7, which provides a way better tablet experience than a Surface Pro ever would.
That said, outside of the 2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, which Apple replaced with an updated 2010 for free under AppleCare, I have hardly any issues with my Apple products. I even own the 2018 MacBook Pro 15", which I decided to buy since I got tired of maintaining a Hackintosh which I built on a X99 platform and can't update it to Mojave unless I spend hours messing around with it.
Sure, people complain about the keyboard and T2 issues who are the vocal ones. However, there are many people like me who are satisfied with the newer models. I do not mind the 4 USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports because it allows me to use an EGPU and of course a dock, which provides charging and of course all those ports when I am at my desk. Sure, it's convenient to have USB-A ports, an HDMI port and a SD reader, but USB-C is the future and eventually, USB-A will become obsolete as more Smartphones, tablets and other devices switch over to USB-C. As for the Keyboard, I am alright with it, although most of the time is spent using an external keyboard.
That said, the 2012-2015 Retina models are not the best models. Sure it has a retina screen, but it's less repairable than the thick Unibody models and it remove the Ethernet jack (which is still used) and Firewire (which is understandable). You cannot change out the RAM nor you can change the battery since it's glued in. At least with the 2012 non-Retina model, you can change out the RAM, hard drive, remove the optical drive for more storage and even change the battery. I feel that Apple should go back to the original Unibody design, replace the USB-A ports with Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, remove the optical drive, add NVME slots for additional storage, replace the screen with a retina one and put in the most powerful processor and graphics options. The thickness would avoid the throttling issues while being repairable. Still, they obviously not going to do that since they are too focused on thinness.
At the end of the day, while I don't like how unrepairable and upgradable the new Apple laptops are, I still willing to use one because the alternatives are not good or don't fit my needs. Not to mention, people suggest Surface tablets and laptops and believe it or not, they are just as unrepairable as the newer Macbooks or even worse. I do think that Apple needs to make their laptops more repairable and not glue and solder everything, including the RAM. Other manufacturers came up ways to have upgradable RAM and SSDs while maintaining a degree of thinness and weight, Apple with it's 1 trillion dollar worth can find a way to make their laptops repairable without sacrificing too much on thinness and weight.
As they say, use the tool that works best for you and of course, grass is not always greener on the other side.
