I think the general population of commenters on MacRumors are far, far too concerned with having their purchase decisions constantly and obsessively validated by reviewers, influencers, and each other. Pathlogically so. Determine your need, match a product to that need at a price you are willing to pay, purchase product. Have confidence in your decision making process. That may include seeking input from others, of course, but the moment you're seeking validation, your process lacks objectivity.
(OP: not a comment on you specifically, just the nature of threads like this that seem to have the only purpose to constantly re-litigate the "success" [defined as what?] of long-proven products).
Because cost matters to most people, as it should. Except for a blessed few, price will always matter. Apple, in its quest to culture a premium, aspirational brand image, and protect its extremely high margins, sets pricing significantly above its peers. Sometimes laughably so. That doesn't mean those purchases don't have value, or aren't worth the prices Apple asks, but it's up to the individual to place that price within their matrix of affordability. That MacRumors would take an editorial position arguing in favor of a lower priced product with similar technical specs is common sense.
