I'm just a girl...

Same basic argument of macs vs PC's. And Apple products have always been easier to use, less prone to bugs due to the closed system, and yes, are just cool hardware.

The latest iphone is awesome. Does everything I require with elegance. And yes, style counts.

The article rings true to me about the freedom vs polish thing. Every time I buy something made by apple, I try to love it and end up hating it because you have to do everything either Steve Jobs' way or the highway. The apple way is usually pretty good and slick (except for the ipods, which are ridiculous), so if you're not sure what you want, apple will show you a decent way to do it, and everything will be set up to make that way work seamlessly, and you're off! But if you like to do things your way, or like to figure out better ways of doing the things you do, you're in for a world of hurt with apple.

I think your experience with mp3 players roughly translates to the phone market - it was the same tradeoff; Polish or freedom.