I think the real magic of Apple is quality, both perceived and real. Before you open the box of a new Apple product, you KNOW that there is a quality item inside. Jobs learned this from his former employer, HP, when HP was HP. People WILL pay more for something that is of or is perceived to be of higher quality. The trick is in finding out how much.
Yes. As to calculators, HP was always more expensive than TI, but they were worth it. My HP48G, purchased over 14 years ago still works great. Cost to buy, expensive. Cost per year, negligeable. Actual value to me, priceless.
I still have some 14 year old data in it too ...