Just because their customer service is average/below average to my standards and their warranties are definitely below average (for higher end products).
Well you say Apple's customer service is below your standards? Well what is up to your standards? Steve Jobs ringing you up 3 times a week to ask you if you like your Mac? Seriously your standards are a little high.
As a personal example here is all the customer service I've gotten with my imac so far.
1. I got a personal case number when I bought my imac from the Apple online store. And was assigned an Apple worker just for one imac purchase. And this person did email me like 5 times to make sure everything was ok with my imac. And answered all of my questions very well.
2. Apple geniuses. Well where I live there is no Apple store but all the dedicated re-sellers I've chatted to all knew their stuff very well. Much better then many of the PC sellers I've chatted to. Sure some PC sellers are very wise, but higher % of Mac sellers know their stuff.
And the official Apple store geniuses are very good I've heard. Sure some better then others but heck at least they have that service. As a comparison, try to ring Dell up about an issue, I have once and they told me "Any issue with your computer is not a Dell matter" and told me goodbye. How rude.
3. The Apple website. In my opinion the best website of ant IT company. And their knowledge base is amazing. With the right search you can answer almost any question you have. And half the time they even supply the file to fix your issue.
4. Applecare. Not the cheapest extendend waranty for computers on the market. But one of the most comprehensive. With it you get 2-3 years (3 for computers and 2 for things like ipods) of service and phone support. And the only reason people don't always get it with their Mac, is that Macs on the whole are built so well, that it almost becomes an issue of why bother when the chances are the Mac will just work.
5. Apple has no VIP program for customer support. That is because everyone is entitled to it. Be it an ipod or a imac purchase.
6. Another point about the geniuses. If you purchase from the Apple store in person, you can book in and they'll help you set up your mac for use and even they ahve classes on how to use your Mac or certain applications like iwork and iphoto. Not everyone is computer savvy. And having the help to learn to use it is something a lot of new computer users like to have.
7. A lot of the time Apple do not haggle with customer about faults with their machine. Apple just replaces the part or at times even the whole computer no questions asked. And for free if still under warranty. Other IT companies warranties will get your computer repaired for free, but only after a long arguement convincing them your fault is a genuine fault and that it's not something you caused, or flat out calling you a liar.
I'm sure there are more points to consider. But I think that is a lot already. Apple do a heck of a lot to ensure their customers are happy with their products and with their service. And as you know with 2 identical products, people will always buy from the people with the best customer service. I do not know of any company that does as much as Apple to keep their customers happy. And I haveto say at this none come better than Apple.
And sure switch to another company. You might get a few $ off your next PC if you buy in bulk from them. But would you get any of the 7 points I listed? Heck no. You'd be moving to worse service. And that's why people pay top $ for their Macs. They know a few $ of their mac price goes into the customer service we all love.
I am sure Apple actually put aside money in their yearly budget for improving customer service standards. And it surely pays off. A happy customer is a repeat customer. And a repeat customer makes your company rich.