What you're missing is the piece of the puzzle called "Value". We're not talking just monetary value, although that plays a part of it.
Value is a personal thing. It's something that every individual does when purchasing. Deciding if the price one is being asked to pay for something, offers suitable reward for that person.
Where Mercedez benz is considered a premium car manufacturer, they have gotten that by not only being more expensive, but by also offering sufficient reward for that purchase price. When you pay more for a Mercedes than a Honda, you're getting something more than just a badge name. You're getting better build quality. Better materials. Better parts and equipment. (yeah some of this could be subjective), but at the end of the day, people generally consider that you get more for your money with that mercedes purchase over the Honda purchase, thus offering sufficient reward for the price and justifying the Value.
what we're seeing more and more (at least in online communities, not just MR), is that Apple's prices continue to raise and are demanding that premium and high end price point. But the products they are offering themselves do not stand above and beyond other products in the same categories. Apple is asking for premium price, while offering mostly standard offerings. For many, This is not sufficient reward for price and therefore they do not feel like there's sufficient value in the Apple products to warrant such a premium price.
Should Mercedez come along and release a car that's at the same levels as that honda, but still charge premium price for it, you'd likely hear similar complaints against Mercedez. Why pay more for the same?
Apple Used to be able to command that premium because they had things others' couldn't match. Now that there's parity in the industries Apple runs in, the same premium just makes apple look like they're trying to maximize profit over actually providing that premium product.
