Sorry, but that didn't "address" my issues whatsoever!
1. I know an awful lot of relatively new Mac owners out there, and absolutely NONE of them made the purchase because it was "shiny". In a few cases going back several years, they were all people working in I.T. in predominantly Windows environments. Like myself, they saw all the struggles with everything from Windows system registry corruption to a constant stream of update patches, even for an OS that was nearly 8 years on the market (Windows XP), for many things that should have been fixed LONG before that. They reached a point where they were really starting to dislike computing, and realized they needed to have something different at home from what they got paid to fight with all day long at work. OS X filled the bill. More recently, I've seen a lot of Mac converts who were simply long-time PC users who never really liked or mastered their computer systems, and they asked their work's I.T. people what they should buy as their next upgrade. They were told about the Mac and its lack of spyware and virus problems, reliability, and long-term value, so they researched it a little more and finally gave one a try. The 15-year olds in the mall you refer to are pretty irrelevant, IMO. Sure, they may own a cheap iPod touch (probably an Xmas gift from their parents half the time) and/or an iPhone -- but I have yet to see one walking around with a Macbook Pro! If anything, I see a lot of college students with one of the plastic 13" Macbooks, because especially on an educational discount, those were pretty affordable a year or two ago.
2. Most people don't resell their WINDOWS computer. That's because as you say, it's somewhat complicated (potential buyers tend to ask a lot of techie type questions that a seller may not be prepared to answer, photos need to be taken and uploaded if you're advertising online, etc. etc.). When the average resale value of that Dell you paid $1200 for 3 years ago is now $75 -- yeah, why bother with it? That's kind of my point though. A Mac still has some actual value, 3 or 4 years after the new purchase. You can't account for lazy people with more money than sense, and yeah -- some of them happen to own Macs. But generally, I bet Mac users DO resell their used machines FAR more often than Windows PC counterparts do.
3. Apple may not profit much, directly, from 2nd. owners of Macs -- but the way you assume that means they don't matter is exactly the type of attitude that will sink today's Apple Computer, if that's really how they're approaching things. A lot of people are right on that line where they can JUST afford to buy a new Mac, but it's a pretty big sacrifice for them. They're not going to just make an impulse buy of one, like they might a $249 netbook at WalMart. A lot of these people are going to "wet their feet" with a used Mac first, after people recommend one to them, before taking the plunge for a brand new one down the road. If that used Mac experience is really disappointing though? Forget it ... Apple loses that customer for good. Secondarily though, don't forget that there's some money to be made selling software to people too. Even if Apple doesn't profit from that used Mac computer sale, they can at least pick up a little profit if the user walks into the local Apple store and buys a copy the latest iLife or iWork suite for it.
I will address all three issues that I see in your statement.
1."One of the big reasons people keep recommending Apple computers to their friends and helping convert people to them from Windows PCs is the history of their systems outlasting the average useful life of a comparable PC." - This has nothing too do with why the majority of the current apple customers buy their products. Most customers are new to apple (last 4-5 years) and buy these products because they are the shiniest, and its the popular product to buy. I want you to go to your local mall, and look around. The average 15 year old girl with too much eye-liner probably has a few ipods, and iphone, and ipad, and a macbook pro (probably a big one so she can beat her friend when comparing them during their free period). She will get new ones of each of these things over her next b-day, xmas, or if she throws a big enough tantrum. This is a gold mine for apple and the demographic that they concentrate on most. It sucks but its true. Housewives are a very close second.
2. "Apple computers generally cost more than a Windows PC counterpart, but that's arguably not a big concern because Macs have better resale value in the long-run." - Most people don't re-sell their computers (complicated , and people are lazy), they just buy new ones.
3."they'll upset all those "2nd. owners" " - These 2nd owners account for an extremely small margin of profit for apple, and thus why would they worry about their opinion when creating a new product. They wouldn't, and don't.
-I am not saying that it is morally right (which doesn't really factor into to any big business decision) but is is fiscally sound.
