Why do we still hate Microsoft but love Apple?
Apple has grown larger than Microsoft. This is old news. Steve Jobs (RIP) never became a philanthropist like Bill Gates. So why do the technorati hold Jobs in such high regard will still harboring resentment for Gates?
I think the differentiation is in the context under which we use their products.
I find myself with other options in every arena in which I use Apple's products. I choose to use them because I want to.
Let's compare this with Microsoft. I often find myself using Microsoft products because I have no other choices.
I use Excel because Google docs wasn't able to open a complex spreadsheet created with Excel.
I use Word because Open Office couldn't display the track changes recorded in Word.
I use Windows to test my websites in Internet Explorer because IE isn't available anywhere else.
The one notable exception is Xbox; I love my Xbox. I chose it over playstation.
I wasn't strong-armed into using Xbox through anti-competitive practices, it's a good product that I wanted to use.
I don't think profit, or good vs. evil has anything to do with it. We simply like companies when we choose to use their products -- over and over -- because they're better.