[stmL]

I believe so. In my country, having an iPhone was a sign of higher income. An average Android phone with a known brand is about 1K local currency, iPhone SE is around 5K and iPhone 11 Pro is around 11K. Average junior developer earns around 5K monthly. Nowadays, even people that can't afford proper food buy them second hand or with installments.

I, as an Android user, keep reading stories about how iPhone respects privacy and how it is more stable etc. Even though there is no add-on support for Firefox on iOS (for uBlock origin) and I know I won't be able to develop any app for my own iPhone (MacBooks are even more expensive around 20K) I still want to buy an iPhone to get rid of Google and its compulsory apps. I know if I care enough about my privacy I can get LineageOS or something, I just want something that works and not owned by Google.

[lern_too_spel]

If you get an iPhone, you will get Apple's compulsory apps. The difference is that on Android, you can replace Google's apps with other apps.

[dylan604]

don't you just exchange that with apps your carrier forces on you?

[lern_too_spel]

You can replace those with apps that you like as well. Android doesn't care who installed the default apps.

[dingaling]

Not if you buy the phone from a retailer.

[dylan604]

I guarantee you're better off not spending 20K on a MacBook. These lastest generations are total crap. I've been a MacBook owner/user since 1997 (before they were called MacBook). I never thought I would say that, but the buttefly keyboard debacle has lowered my opinion of Apple hardware to the point I'd consider a non-Apple device for the next one.