A few counter points to add in to this discussion:
I have been a PC user since 486 days, and we migrated over to first Windows laptops then Macs. My wife has a MBA from 'late 2010' and I have recently upgraded to the current rMBP from a 2-year old MBP. We also have a Mac Mini ('mid 2011'). All my kit runs Mavericks.
I'm not a power user like some of you guys (and gals) are, but I work in computing and provide IT support to all my extended family so I know a thing or two.
As soon as you move away from desktop PCs the ability to upgrade them is significantly reduced. I attempted to upgrade two Vaio laptops from Vista to Windows 7 and found out the hard way that laptop drivers are developed by the laptop supplier, not the component supplier and they only tend to maintain them for 6 months. My upgraded laptops ran, but like a dog and very unstable. All my Macs are still well supported and run the latest OS capably. I wouldn't be able to say that about a Windows laptop of similar age.
I moved to Apple for the ecosystem. The tight control between hardware and software allows for kit to remain in support for much longer. A friend of mine who is a true Mac-head has been running a white MacBook for years and (although it could no longer keep up with the latest software updates) it was still going strong. She is now using my older MBP but she didn't
have to upgrade if she didn't want to.
The tight integration also allows easy use of extra kit: I have a a Time Machine, 2 AirPorts and 2 Apple TVs to pipe media all round my house for far less money than something like Sonos. I can also synchronise painlessly between my Macs, iPhone and iPad (and my wife has her own, parallel set of kit). That requires quite a lot of fiddling to get running on a Windows / Android combination with multiple suppliers and cloud services. Apple mange all that for me and 'it just works' 99 times out of 100.
Let's look at costs. Another friend of mine is looking to get a medium level gaming PC, with similar spec to my rMBP. Just the PC tower alone is coming out more expensive than my rMBP, unless he buys components and builds it himself. And he wants a top quality screen on top of that, which I already have with my device. He isn't a tech-guru and has had problems with component-based PCs in the past, so that just isn't an option for him. He would also like to have effective back-up solutions for his PC, and this is much more fiddly (again) with a PC and separate solution vendors.
Another aspect on costs: for what ever reason, Apple has moved to a 'free upgrade' model for both iOS and OSX. That development has to be paid for some how, so it is reasonable for them to induce you to buy more of their hardware every few years - that is how they finance the software development. If you want the latest version of Windows, it will cost you.
I don't know what the situation is like on recycling in other countries, but they are really hot on this in the UK. If I just put a computer out on the side of the street, our 'bin men' won't take it. I would have to arrange special collection or take it to a municipal waste disposal centre. At such a centre they have a separate area for electronic devices so that they can be taken away and stripped for recycling. And Apple devices are surely one of the most recyclable devices around, with high levels of aluminium and glass that can both be recycled fairly easily?
On top of that, in my experience, few people would just throw way a computer unless it was physically defunct. If you are in the game of updating kit to keep on the processing curve then you know enough to sell on your older kit to people with lower needs; people who don't care about this will keep the exact same PC for 5-7 years. I always sell or pass-on my old computers. And you can't watch TV for an hour in the UK on some channels without seeing adverts for companies who will recycle your old mobile for you (or re-sell it in other markets); even the phone shops are in on it and will offer you a part-ex on your old handset now.
So:
- Apple kit isn't actually vastly more expensive when you do a like-for-like comparison, there is just a higher initial cost
- 99% of users never upgrade their hardware, and even if you want to it's not always easy
- Apple kit actually has a longer useful life than Windows kit in real-terms
- Apple kit is much easier to use than Windows kit in many ways, so if those ways are valuable to you then this is another advantage
- Most kit gets passed on between users and eventually recycled
All IMHO.
On a side note, one of my other hobbies is cars and I use to have a heavily modified one. It is always cheaper to modify a car to a level of performance than to buy that same level from the manufacturer. Why is this? Firstly, they have to warranty that car for a significant period, which is a safety net you don't have with a modified car if things go wrong. Second, there isn't enough market to mass-produce a car with the specification of a modified car at volume economically. I think similar forces apply to computers, with similar economic pressures.