If I had to guess, the iPhone and iPod Touch are seen as more successful endeavors to Apple than the Mac has been of late. So I wouldn't be surprised if Apple's iPhone policies start leaking their way onto the Mac too.
I really hope that this ridiculousness doesn't start to bleed through - the MacBook Pro is pretty much the only laptop I've ever considered usable for development, and I don't know what I'd do if I had to abandon it...
I specially loved the one that came with the 3278 terminal. And the clicky ones, like the ones that came with the 3290.
Nowadays, when on my desk, the netbook is hooked up to a Microsoft natural keyboard. I would like the Sun keyboard, but Sun won't ship it to me in Brazil and local dealers want... US$400 for it.
"Quality of hardware" boils down to user interface... just at the hardware level.
Their UI ability is the secret of Apple's success. Everyone else treats UI and design like an afterthought.