Given your chosen quotes, I don't understand your confusion.
The author explicitly acknowledges that Apple makes excellent hardware, and the desire to switch is driven solely by problems with the software (OS).
> All this made me realize Liquid Glass and Apple's software incompetence is absolutely universally hated, yet their hardware is universally loved. So credit where it's due, they make great hardware.
I have no issue with liquid glass. IMO it’s a few people making a bunch of noise about vanishingly minor complaints. So, like all things, not universal.