I think you just proved my point: your specific reasons for not buying Apple products aren't universal. Other people who don't have your particular software requirements (probably 90% of people in the web-centric era) aren't going to weigh those downsides so highly when comparing price, battery life, hardware quality, available software, etc. - all areas where Android, et al. are struggling to keep up.
Saying "it's about the brand" is too simple because it could mean "Buzz / clinging to past glory" (i.e. the Sony strategy) or "well earned reputation for producing products people like" and heavily papering over the reasons in the latter case.
> Other people who don't have your particular software requirements (probably 90% of people in the web-centric era) aren't going to weigh those downsides so highly
If you think 90% of people really weight pros and cons of a mostly technical decision, you are an optimist. I am not sure most people who buy iPads know every other tablet available (and that includes things like the Nook) can browse the web, use e-mail, watch videos, run Flash thingies and play Angry Birds. Apple enjoys a powerful reputation and it's often a good enough decision to go with an iPad when you are confused by a lot of slightly different offerings.
The Touchpad appears to have been rushed out before it was ready and its software has a great deal of problems, but I am quite sure those problems would have been fixed relatively soon. It's been on the market for only 45 days, after all.
Saying "it's about the brand" is too simple because it could mean "Buzz / clinging to past glory" (i.e. the Sony strategy) or "well earned reputation for producing products people like" and heavily papering over the reasons in the latter case.