So you're suggesting some purchasers of Apple products are vapid enough (and monied enough) to buy them out of "goodwill" towards Apple? It's possible, of course an alternative is that you haven't a clue what you are talking about. I know which way I'd bet.
Ah, but that is one alternative! Now you'll have to excuse me, I'm off to buy a new MBP with the specs of the standard PC laptops of a few years ago for double the price, acting as a rational consumer.
I do not thing that buying something because you think it has a good brand (or you have goodwill towards the brand, however you want to phrase it), makes you vapid.
High end consumer products like Apple hardware most certainly have a certain fashion aspect which is important to remember when you considering why people make the purchase decisions that they do.
While that may be something that you do not value when purchasing hardware and gadgets (I know I do not value it highly at all either), there is certainly nothing fundamentally wrong with those that think otherwise.
Those are wholly related. Were the quality of Apple's hardware or software to decline my goodwill towards them would take an immediate drop. The one and only reason that I use their things because I find those things, and the support behind them, to be the highest quality.
I am not sure how that is relevant to be honest. Are you saying that there brand doesn't matter, or that it is healthy because their products have found success due to technical achievements?
