> But if i have my eyes closed, it's not like I see it in the black of my closed eyes.

Only the excessively literal think that this is what people mean when they say they "see" an image in their mind. Everyone else understands what you describe (imagining an object and conjuring up an image in your mind) as what the metaphorical "seeing" in "seeing in your mind" means.

What you describe, about imagining an apple, that's what people mean when they talk about seeing something in their mind.