That's just irrational. Ask any economist or consumer on the planet - everything else being equal, lower price is better. People either get this or they don't.
True, but the sticking point is "everything else being equal". Both objective and subjective evaluations pertain, and some "detractors" might try to dismiss the latter, but it's inappropriate in comparing value – both perceived and real.
A $14 Casio watch will keep time more accurately than a $14,000 Jaeger-LeCoutlre, but some may feel that there is more value in a carefully crafted timepiece vs. a mass-produced, stamped-out plastic-coated mechanism for keeping time. Both allow one to make it to the bus stop on time, but there is a difference in perceived value, as well as market potential, market share, appreciation, etc.
My remarks are off-topic, but when it comes to "value" and personal demarcation of same (with regard to consumer goods), one is well-served by appreciating that each of us has a different scale by which we measure such things. For example, I recognize that I get much better "value" by buying Apple's computer offerings (when one buys very carefully, buys RAM from other resources, etc.) than do my Windows-buying (mostly Dell's) colleagues. The funny thing is that my colleagues are mostly feeling the same way lately. Several are very, very geeky and have always built their own machines; program comfortably in a staggering list of languages, etc.; but due to issues beyond the topic here, are adding Macs and slowly migrating. My point is that there is more than one way to evaluate "value".
Apple's success IS mostly recent, in that we've watched it grow during the past 10 years (I bought AAPL at $14 after their deep slide). But we have also watched them transform from a computer company to a consumer electronics company to a cell-phone vender to a... Apple has no debt, billions of dollars of cash, and most importantly, innovation (or at least, effective marketing). Most of the other big names specialize in polishing feeding troughs for lemmings. That is a seriously successful business model, but it also allows room for niche players and those who will to press against the norm.
Nokia and Microsoft do not sit idle, but neither do Apple. My point is not to tout Apple, but to remind us all that neither side of any competition sits idly taking punches and not adapting. Nokia will move, MS will move, Apple will move... He who sits by, guarding his chips, will be flanked by more than one competitor.
Cheers