Their computers were never quite "bleeding edge", but there was a few years where they hit a really great sweet spot:
1. Top quality industrial design and components (trackpads, screens, etc.).
2. Reasonably competitive specs (never as cheap as building an equivalent PC from parts, but close enough that you didn't feel totally ripped off)
3. An OS that provided Unix compatibility with a nice GUI that Just Worked.
Now, in all three areas, they've either fallen back, or their competitors have caught up.
1. The design and build quality of the best ultrabooks matches that of the Mac, and individual components like screens are often better. Meanwhile, Apple refuse to introduce real touch-screens on their laptop, presumably due to internal pressure from the iPad division, so they settle on the touchbar as a compromise. Or they want better sound, but can't make it work internally, so they just add fake speaker grilles instead.
2. The specs have stagnated, while the prices have increased dramatically.
3. The OS has gradually been locked down, and its Unix roots eroded. Meanwhile, Desktop Linux has improved, and Microsoft has added Linux compatibility to Windows.
1. Top quality industrial design and components (trackpads, screens, etc.).
2. Reasonably competitive specs (never as cheap as building an equivalent PC from parts, but close enough that you didn't feel totally ripped off)
3. An OS that provided Unix compatibility with a nice GUI that Just Worked.
Now, in all three areas, they've either fallen back, or their competitors have caught up.
1. The design and build quality of the best ultrabooks matches that of the Mac, and individual components like screens are often better. Meanwhile, Apple refuse to introduce real touch-screens on their laptop, presumably due to internal pressure from the iPad division, so they settle on the touchbar as a compromise. Or they want better sound, but can't make it work internally, so they just add fake speaker grilles instead.
2. The specs have stagnated, while the prices have increased dramatically.
3. The OS has gradually been locked down, and its Unix roots eroded. Meanwhile, Desktop Linux has improved, and Microsoft has added Linux compatibility to Windows.