I don't love Apple either, but there's an interesting dynamic with Apple that hardly any other companies have. Product announcements have the aura of a pop concert - wild cheering crowds that will provide a standing ovation for nearly anything. Where else do you see that?
Apple takes more interest in design and simplicity than its rivals. The simplicity was originally of great interest to those who found DOS/Windows too complex; this gave them some fans, but not like they have today. The big-time "love" really came with the recent focus on music & video, stylish designs, and emotional advertising. Apple is appealing to more personal, deep-rooted emotions than their competitors.
Once Apple became "hip", a lot of the marketing was done for them by the fans (including a large percentage of "tech" writers), giving them a
huge overall marketing advantage and making the "love" grow.
Its an enviable marketing position to be in. They can get away with things that other companies never could. Products are almost never pre-announced; Apple keeps everything a huge secret and waits until the day they're in stores to announce products. This eliminates the waning interest normally occurs after "coming soon" announcements, and eliminates any reduction in demand or discounts for soon-to-be-obsolete product. Of course it sucks if you're one of the ones who bought a product that was obsolete a month later, but everyone loves Apple so who cares about those losers?