... a new Apple laptop, "low end" as you say costs $1000. Their top of the line is $2000. If you want to go over the top, $2800.

Not a pitch one way or the other, but that's the apples & apples. Not oranges. At $2000, you're getting one of their higher end machines. I've had both and have had problems with both. In fact, I've had three, yes THREE, Apple machines crash within the past 6 months. All (sort of) older machines, two laptops, one desktop ... all logic board issues. One machine I had fixed (which was stupid on my part), another I replaced, the third was covered by their 3 year Warranty, by one week. I think with Apple if you get three years out of a machine consider yourself lucky, you might as well then get a new one, or expect problems running the machine or newer softwares/applications ... that's been my experience with Apple computers for years, as well as the PC's.

I do agree with what you are saying, they have their customers by the balls, but all the manufacturers do, the technology is rapidly changing, and they're milking it. Not only with laptops, but computers, phones, tablets, etc.

My son has a one-year old iPhone 4S and for some reason he thinks he needs the new iPhone 5. Good luck.

Is there anything else out there so necessary on our lives and so expensive that we have to replace every 3 years ? Sort of pathetic.

Cheers, John