What I've found over the years is that Apple's marketing can often lead people to buy tools they don't necessarily need. For every consummate Macbook professional I've found, there's always another savant who prefers to spend their money on a 15 year old Thinkpad and a 2-year supply of Four Loko. It's a somewhat ironic equilibrium in my eyes, but I think that's part of the ultimate joy of programming.

However, I mostly agree with you. I think Apple's marketing does a pretty poor job of communicating the difference in their products, and it's certainly intentional. One of my friends ended up buying the iMac Pro for development, and I can't understand for the life of me why. Similarly, he also derides me for not buying a Mac Mini already and ditching my Linux ecosystem for good. C'est va, I suppose.