Not caring at time of purchase doesn’t mean they don’t grumble and curse the brand later on after an experience where the phone breaks and the options are limited to a costly manufacturer repair. I consider myself an iPhone person, my current phone is an iPhone 12 Pro Max so I paid a pretty penny to Apple for it, it’s also insured, but it still doesn’t mean I won’t condemn Apple for making dubious decisions that hurt repair options. Not all that different from getting your car repaired at a mechanic rather than the dealer.
Right, but then, if you go and buy another iPhone, does it really matter that you "condemn Apple"? From their point of view, you're a happy customer, since you're coming back!
Now even if Apple hears people cursing them and grumbling on forums, the fact that they keep on buying their product means that it's not enough of an issue for them to stop buying it.
It's possible simultaneously for something to have a large societal cost, and for it to not affect any individual person enough to change their decisionmaking.