While "fundamental innovation" is a little strong, they are not merely better "decidedly only in the PR and marketing spheres". I'm guessing your experience has been different, but the fact of the matter is that a large segment of the market has such a better experience with Apple products that they're willing to pay a premium.
Not to deny that their cultural position as status symbols is also a big factor, but it is an objective fact that many people actually have better experiences, and not by accident or because it's easy to make that experience work, but due to deliberate hard work by Apple that many competitors have tried and failed to supplant.
Not to deny that their cultural position as status symbols is also a big factor, but it is an objective fact that many people actually have better experiences, and not by accident or because it's easy to make that experience work, but due to deliberate hard work by Apple that many competitors have tried and failed to supplant.