I'd almost say most companies live or die off their marketing. One could argue that understanding your customer as well as or better than they understand themselves is a strength.

To wit, some people do value form over function. Some people do prefer a safe, curated walled garden.

I am not among them--I say this as someone who cannot stand using most Apple products for more than a minute. But I respect what they offer(ed) and for some people even recommended them. (Now I'm less sure because it seems like everything tech has gone to shit, but I can't tell if that's just "old man yells at cloud" or what)

Ideally there would be enough competition for us all to find what we're looking for. I think anticompetitive behavior is a worse sin