This is mostly true, but I disagree it is not worse now than in the past. The gap between a Windows PC and a Mac is getting pretty tiny while the price gap is increasing significantly. Macs no longer boast superior features or build quality. The customer service gap is not what it used to be. Apple have been removing features at a faster rate than before while build quality has gone down. All while raising prices.
Well, we're just at an impasse... I've been following Apple for 35 years... you're just making the EXACT same arguments that countless people have made before you. I bought the infamous PowerBook 5300 over 20 years ago... it cost $3,000 and was a pile of !@#$ - a computer that has consistently made top 10 worst Apple products ever lists. I said all the same things about pricing, build quality, gimping features. I didn't buy another Apple product for nearly a decade because of it.
You are right, the forums are not the only indicator, but they are one indicator and it indicates that there are more users that are reaching a tipping point than ever before. Other indicators are things like Mac sales being down while PC sales are going up (that has not happened since the switch to Intel), iPhone growth flat and possibly declining, losing the education market, etc. Apple has responded by no longer reporting unit sales and increasing prices to maintain and grow profits as unit sales decline. That will work for now, but sooner or later you will hit a ceiling on price. I think we are nearing it.
The forums are NOT an indicator. They are self-selective. The reason you see the complaining on MacRumors going up is because people like me stop coming here because we get sick of the non-stop complaining about every single little thing... eventually, the forums are just left with the complainers. This is happening across the internet. Intelligent, rational people eventually get tired of wasting their time with the nonstop complaining, especially the irrational and lack of knowledge or insight complaining.
You're touting "indicators" like sales, but you're not providing the context about product releases, etc. E.g. the widely touted 2018 Q3 sales decline doesn't take into account that a bunch of product was released Q3 2017, where as Q3 2018, we were still waiting for new product. You can't just cherry pick a single quarter sales decline or even a single year. World markets are complicated... trade and currency is constantly in flux and can greatly affect pricing outside of the US beyond Apple's control.
Personally, I largely agree that Apple's best days are behind it, but this notion that because the mini a couple hundred bucks more than it used to be is the reason for that is just plain silly.
