As the largest producer and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the world, Apple is, naturally, constantly assailed by critics and tech enthusiasts alike.

One of the biggest gripes the tech world has against Apple is that the company always seems to be behind the “bleeding edge” of innovation. Apple constantly seems to add features to its devices years behind those of its competitors, making the spec lists of their products relatively unimpressive.

For instance, Apple first introduced wireless charging to their phones in 2017 with the release of the iPhone X and the iPhone 8, a feature Samsung has been including in their phones since 2014. And the list goes on: from Organic LED (OLED) displays— which offer improved contrast and battery life— and waterproofing to Face ID and touchscreen technology in laptops (which still has not been implemented), Apple seems to lag behind significantly for a company whose slogan has been “Think Different” since 1997.

What these critics do not realize, however, is that innovation does not necessarily equate to releasing features the world has never seen. Sometimes, it means executing them in a way nobody has ever done before.

And this is exactly what Apple does. Yes, the iPhone did have comically large bezels and LCD displays until 2017; however, the phone Apple released that year, the iPhone X, had one of the best displays on any smartphone the world has ever seen, with a screen-to-body ratio of 81.49% and High Dynamic Range (HDR) capability, which displays colors and shadows more naturally and vibrantly. Even though Apple has not yet released a touchscreen computer (which, considering Mac OS, would not work well anyway), it outfitted its laptops with undeniably the best trackpads on any portable computing device and expanded its iPad lineup to appeal more to professionals

Another huge complaint Apple often receives is that their products are extremely expensive: the cheapest verisions of the new iPhone XS and XS Max retail at $999 and $1099, respectively. This leads to consumers paying exorbitant amounts of money to continue using Apple’s platform, which many consumers are already heavily invested in.

However, while Apple’s prices can admittely be very steep, Apple does have quite a few options to purchase its devices at significantly lower prices. Certified refurbished iPhones can be purchased from Apple with their one year warranty program at drastically lower prices than the cost they retail for: a brand new iPhone 7 currently costs $449, while a refurbished one is only $379. Furthermore, Apple continually releases devices such as the iPhone XR, SE and 5C, which are geared towards consumers who are not looking to dish out $1000 for a phone.

Apple is definitely not the cheapest technology brand in the world; however, the fact that they still manage to stay on top of the smartphone and laptop food chain is because, in the end, there will always be people willing to buy heir devices. While their costly phones and computers may seem unreasonably overpriced to the eyes of the average consumer, the fact that, despite the cost, so many people purchase Apple products, the company’s hiking up of prices with every release is simply smart business.

So next time you see a rant on YouTube about Apple’s chokehold on the clueless consumer, realize that it was Apple who refined many of the features we enjoy on our smartphones today and that they are, in the end, the most successful technology corporation in the world.