I think these kind of subjects are a bit of a grey area.
Different brands excel in different areas, Apple excel in the sound and graphic design industries, there is no two ways about that one. The iphone has proven to be a good reliable solid phone for along time now, that holds onto its value better than anything else on the market, so at the very least its a better investment than any other phone for purely that reason alone. (Not sure about the plastic one, no offence but probally not)
As i was discussing earlier (yesterday?) I generally wouldnt buy Bose but they excel in the area of noise cancellation and they are the best in that field if you really feel you need noise cancellation headphones. (Most people dont need NC heapdhones, but they can be good if your a frequent traveller or you enjoy using headphones to watch movies in the comfort of your own home)
Monster are a cable company, I wouldnt take a speaker or a headphone seriously from them.
I mean you really could go on and on with lists about every single brand thats ever existed highlighting there good points and underlining there shortcomings.
It gets a bit much when you have the typical blokey ego in the pants thing that my toy is better then your toy scenario, males and electronic equipment and cars carry on like they have small dicks sometimes, yeah weve all met them, no one, may be one themsleves...