The only reason you would need to spend 3K is because of Apple. You could spend half that and get a similar/better computer that would last as long. Or spend as much and get something that would significantly outlast any Mac of the same price, at least from a performance point of view.

Apple has been absurdly milking its consumer for quite a while now, without much merit in the form of technological advantage.

It's not the fault of software companies if Apple hardware is overpriced, they don't have to care, their hardware are cheap enough...