I share you sentiment with not having to deal with the OS. Too many times in the past I have been burned with Ubuntu updates breaking my system. I cringed every time going from 6 to 8, 8 to 10, and 10 to 12 - what a pile of shit that OS is. My damn forward and back buttons on my Logitech G700 required me creating a config file to customize the buttons.
macOS to me feels like a 1,000 times polished linux distro without the headaches. I love how each app has it's own dependencies so you don't need to worry about library conflicts. Uninstall an app, just delete the single file! Still desire command line access? Open the terminal and type away. The Spotlight Search finds me everything I need instantly. Updates are flawless. All of your opened apps and files are ready for you whenever you reboot, even after an update. I don't remember the last time I had to force quit an app or even reboot my mac.
Yes, you over pay for the hardware inside of a mac, but you are purchasing more than just the hardware, you are getting their ecosystem which makes my life easier because I can focus on being productive and less time "tinkering" with shit. As I was typing this I was able to answer a phone call without having to touch my phone and only click 1 button. It makes my life easier with minimal effort and that's something that can't be said for Linux, Windows, or even Google.
I wonder how many people bash Apple and never truly used their products outside of an Apple store?