Sure, if you’re looking for exactly what Apple offers, then they offer a decent value. But if you want any changes, you’re SOL.
I personally don’t care about half the things they ship standard (screen, camera, chassis, trackpad), I really care about things they charge extra for (RAM, storage), and I like some things offered by other manufacturers (TrackPoint + mouse buttons from Thinkpad, repairability, keyboard feel, etc). I also don’t really like macOS, even after using it for years at work.
For me, they offer poor value. For someone else, they offer good value. It all comes down to what you value.
Sure, if you’re looking for exactly what Apple offers, then they offer a decent value. But if you want any changes, you’re SOL.
I personally don’t care about half the things they ship standard (screen, camera, chassis, trackpad), I really care about things they charge extra for (RAM, storage), and I like some things offered by other manufacturers (TrackPoint + mouse buttons from Thinkpad, repairability, keyboard feel, etc). I also don’t really like macOS, even after using it for years at work.
For me, they offer poor value. For someone else, they offer good value. It all comes down to what you value.