How? Just about everything is better. The biggest difference between Apple laptops and everybody else's is the trackpad. Nobody else makes one like Apple. You don't know what a pleasure it is to not have to think about the trackpad while I'm working. That alone lifts the build quality of Apple laptops to a level above ordinary Windows laptops.

The keyboards are excellent, better than the norm. I consider ThinkPad keyboards to be outstanding, slightly superior to Apple. But Apple keyboards are still way better than the average laptop, the second best laptop keyboard. I haven't used the latest Lenovo ThinkPads and I've read that their laptops have degraded over the years. So maybe Apple's now is the best. All I know is that it does it's job without any fuss and that's very important to me. The backlighting could get dimmer in low-light conditions but I understand that Apple fixed that in the newest model.

Moving on, the batteries are outstanding. Apple manages to get everything right. Charging works well, though the chargers themselves are sub-par, due to Apple's ill-considered decision to not use strain relief, I never have to worry about whether I'm charging my laptop too much or not enough, Apple builds all those decisions into the circuitry of the charging system. It's one more thing, like the trackpad, that I don't have to worry about when I use Apple that I always miss when I start using other kinds of laptops.

There's the screen. I'm sure there are similar-quality screens out there, but Apple's is outstanding. With Flux, I can use it in lighting conditions ranging from very dark all the way to just shy of direct sunlight on a bright day.

There's the solidity of the aluminum construction. I wouldn't exactly say I'm careless with my laptops, but I don't use a case and I bring them to the bar. If I close the lid, it's practically impervious to spills. I've relied on this more than once. I've spilled liquid on it with the lid open, all that needed to be replaced was the keyboard and trackpad, the mainboard wasn't damaged.

Finally there's Apple's support ecosystem. I've never not left the Apple Store satisfied. Their reps are helpful and knowledgable in a way that you really miss when you stray outside the ecosystem. One time I didn't want to wait for Apple after I spilled water on it on a Sunday, so I took it to a Micro Center that was listed on Apple's website. The difference in professionalism was night and day. Micro Center made me fill out paper forms and mis-transcribed my phone number, so I didn't get any notifications.

Literally everything about Apple's laptops is a cut above in terms of quality, and some things, like the trackpad and support, are spectacularly so. Other companies can get close to Apple on a few things, but only Apple can consistently do everything right. You're always going to be missing something if you go elsewhere. Apple hardware looks overpriced compared to a run-of-the-mill machine, but when you look at the high end of the laptop market, prices all look very similar. When you're actually comparing apples to Apples, (see what I did there?) the prices for similar quality laptops, like say the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Apple comes out at only slightly more expensive. I consider the premium very much worth it. I can see how a more price-sensitive customer could find it very expensive, but to me that's like comparing Toyotas and Hondas to Mercedes and BMWs.