This is underappreciated. You're not just buying an iPhone, you're buying a system of life accessories.
Which has clunky ugly corners, but still sort of works smoothly most of the time. (Mostly.)
I'm increasingly convinced Android only exists because it allows Google to pretend it's not just an ad company, and Apple to pretend it's not a monopoly.
Apple's stranglehold on the mobile market, with its mix of hardware, software, and content services, is far more extreme than Microsoft's 90s-era stranglehold on the PC desktop.
You're taking the perspective from places where iPhones are in a majority, or a plurality of people's pockets.
In Asia, Africa, Middle East, South America etc, Android has a much larger share of the market, even if it is spread across large numbers of models and manufacturers.
Apple's "stranglehold" is about as strong as it's "stranglehold" on the desktop/laptop market with Macs.
Which has clunky ugly corners, but still sort of works smoothly most of the time. (Mostly.)
I'm increasingly convinced Android only exists because it allows Google to pretend it's not just an ad company, and Apple to pretend it's not a monopoly.
Apple's stranglehold on the mobile market, with its mix of hardware, software, and content services, is far more extreme than Microsoft's 90s-era stranglehold on the PC desktop.