The macOS dock gets plenty of hate (it’s Apple and this is the internet, just look in this thread).
The difference is that the Dock has always been like the Dock. It also exists holistically with all the other design decisions in macOS. Put another way, Windows seems to have copied the superficial appearance of the Dock without the considering _why_ the Dock works in the macOS environment.
The main reason it gets less hate from Apple users is probably the first and shortest one you mention: It's always been like that... So Apple users have nothing to compare to; they cant' know that it could be better.
I don't really buy that, tons of people who use macOS come from a Windows background or use Mac at work and Windows at home (or vice/versa). It seems much simpler to me to just assume the Dock actually works.
The difference is that the Dock has always been like the Dock. It also exists holistically with all the other design decisions in macOS. Put another way, Windows seems to have copied the superficial appearance of the Dock without the considering _why_ the Dock works in the macOS environment.