Why do most Americans use an iPhone?

Marketing.
Convincing stupid people that their self-worth is based on how much they spend.
Not a thing that is exclusive to Apple, of course. It's how society has been since the 80s and Reaganomics, with Nike and other running shoes being the first really noticeable marketing push in that regard.
Where Apple paved the way is that, even back then, a company would make a product, assign a profit margin to it (traditionally about 30-40%), and sell it at that price..
Apple came along and said, "the only limit to a profit margin is how much you can convince stupid people to pay. We'll use billions of dollars in advertising to convince people that they're sub-human if they don't agree with it. If the consumer is dumb enough to pay 250% profit margin for a phone device that costs us literally a couple hundred bucks to make...than that's on them and their own stupidity."
So in short, profit margin is no longer a relatively stable number dictated by market forces and the relative strength of the economy, and (thanks to Apple) instead has become a function of marketing. How much can you convince suckers to spend.

Americans don't really value freedom. Not really. Americans pretend they like freedom, but they will give up all their freedoms for the slightest bit of convenience, and because social media told them so.
Am I talking about consumer electronics, or politics? Impossible to say.
- I understand the sentiment you are going for, but I think it is a little cheap regarding the opinion of 300 million+ people.
  In my horribly narrow opinion, the American freedom is simply the freedom to choose. Nothing more, nothing less. The freedom to own a tiger, buy a tank or be "Florida man" for a day.
  It is not "free" from manipulation and sometimes it really feels like a 5 year old choosing to do the opposite of the right thing just "because".
  Sidenote: I ABSOLUTELY do not think it is the best way to build a nurturing society, but I get why it has such a passionate supporter base.
  
  It was a nurturing society when most were in communities that interacted with each other. We have lost that for many reasons
  
  it is a little cheap regarding the opinion of 300 million+ people
  Actually iPhones are generally a little expensive, and mostly talking about around 150 million of those 300 million people 😜:
  In the United States, there were over 150 million active iPhones in 2023
  https://www.statista.com/topics/4753/apple-products-in-the-us/#topicOverview
- Tbh. It's the same in the UK. Our governments, of both sides, are killing any perception of privacy we had and no-one is doing/saying anything.
  Having said that people are mostly dealing with the terrorist inspired killings here that the are allied to the immigration issue.
  The people have had enough, the governments of the last twenty years have been obvious or more likely not looking (at the disquiet).
  There isn't enough room to think of the loss of privacy/security yet. We are in a hell of a mess.

Blue ticks and group chats.
Cos they never made it away from the pre-installed apps.
- The Blue/Green tick thing has winded down in my own personal sphere. My wife's family has a group chat where I was the only android user and would get dunked on when I replied. I just asked to be removed so they wouldn't have to deal with SMS/MMS bullshit. Now that RCS is on everything it doesn't matter. Ive been trying to get them to use Signal for the last few years but no one wants another app that isn't their default messaging app.
  On the second part, yeah thats true. If Apple does anything right it's making "things work" for the average user, and I am sure we all know what the average user can do now. Any concerns I bring up with iOS is met with "but you work in IT and understand that stuff" which is hard to argue with when people just want something to work without troubleshooting and exploring options.

It’s status. Apple is regarded as more expensive and high quality.
- Except the most expensive phones on the market are android devices.
  It's actually incredibly difficult to tell if someone has the latest iPhone or one that is five years old.
- Exactly.
  The short answer is capitalism. Wasting money is a status symbol.

when you cant even have an app without a corporation’s approval
Apple has successfully positioned themselves as “the good guy”.
Apple broke the monopoly of phone provider locks, and still prohibits phone provider bloatware.
Apple seems like the only provider with any care for privacy, and many of their features and policies are privacy focussed
Apple puts more effort than most software providers into usability
you might think Apples constraints on the App Store blocks legitimate opensource and personal projects, but it mostly blocks commercial exploitation. It blocks behaviors that abuse customers or their privacy, that will give users a bad experience. I’ve read the requirement for a fee with a real credit card is actually the most effective strategy against malware
every major app is available in the App Store
its just a phone. My phone needs to just work, unlike my computer which needs to do whatever I want it to.
So maybe the root cause is lack of consumer protection in the US, but my experience with iPhone is much better than with Android phones. I’m not blind to corporate shenanigans but I do feel better protected in the Apple ecosystem. I do have freedom to choose almost any legitimate app, and I’m not particularly interested n futzing around with my phone anyway

• American company
\ • Secure
\ • Little to no bloatware
\ • Isn’t a google product
\ • Isn’t a google product
\ • Isn’t a google product
\ • same version of the OS in all devices
\ • customer support that actually answers the phone within a few rings and supports your device over the phone.
\ • isn’t a google product.
That’s a few off the top of my head.
- The customer support one is literal leaps and bounds above the competition.
  I can call Apple and have someone answer very quickly, but you can’t really call Google. I can get Apple to call me if I don’t want to wait or I can take it to a store and have anything non-physical fixed for free.
  Edit: Further to this. All Apple Stores offer free education on how to use their products. Got a new MacBook but don’t know what I’m doing? Book in to take a Mac class. Want to learn to draw an Emoji using an iPad or make beats with a musician then sign me up or sign your kids up. Same for photo walks and other creative tasks.
  
  Yep. Exactly. I’ve never had an issue with any apple decide that lasted over just a few hours before it was resolved. That’s enough to win me over.
  Google can keep their whistles and bells.

Not an American, but as an iPhone user who has had Android phones since cupcake before: iPhones „just work“, they are a lot less janky than Android, the ecosystem is smooth (although admittedly and intentionally less so when leaving it), they get updated for longer (and at the same time!) and apple has a much better privacy track record than the competition (a low bar).
Yes, I would prefer to install my apps from anywhere I want on the device I should own. An open source phone from top to bottom would be my dream, but Android is about as far removed from that as an iphone. Google took Linux and made it into a Frankenstein nightmare that is wholly dependent on them.
Just try to stick to open source and make your phone respect your privacy and see how far you get. Start at the usually locked bootloader, install a rom without google and see how few apps are left that do not require google services. And even then you are most likely dependent on binary blobs for the drivers, meaning the manufacturers can (and will) pull the rug from under your efforts as soon as they no longer feel like updating their shitty built of Android for the device in time.
I do not have time for that. What I have is enough money to buy a phone that comes as close as possible to my idea of safety, freedom and privacy without constantly jumping through burning hoops. If I am to be in a cage, it better be golden.
- they are a lot less janky than Android
  What did you find so problematic and unsolvable?
- An open source phone from top to bottom would be my dream, but Android is about as far removed from that as an iphone. Google took Linux and made it into a Frankenstein nightmare that is wholly dependent on them.
  have you considered flashing custom roms on it? e/OS, LineageOS and GrapheneOS (restricted to google pixel for hardware+privacy/security reasons) are all opensource.
  
  As soon as you start flashing custom firmware the "just works" goes right out of the window.
  
  Graphene. Don't try the others if you aren't prepared for an uphill battle. Graphene just works.
- Just to say. I recently jumped from Android and the iPhone didn't just work like I remember they did. Two bugs I had were adding comments on Reddit using Firefox. The keyboard would come up but my text would be off screen so I couldn't see what I was typing. This could be a Firefox bug but it was still very weird and not one I'd seen on Android.
  One bug that used to get annoying is I'd unlock the phone and when going to type, the volume would be at max briefly before going back to the volume the phone was set at. This caught me out a few times in the middle of the night.
  I couldn't get on with iOS and felt that after not using it since the iPhone 4S that nothing had really improved. Also the lack of being able to use uBlock Origin on Firefox was awful. It's been a while since I browsed the web without an adblocker and I really hated having to do something every day. Eventually I sold the 16 Pro I had and went back to my Pixel 8.
  The one thing I remember being great about the iPhone was when you upgrade you restore the backup and the phone just works. With Android you typically have to go around and login to all the apps again. Again a developer issue but certainly easier on iOS.
  
  This could be a Firefox bug but it was still very weird and not one I’d seen on Android.
  This is likely directly related to the fact that Apple blocks use of any other web renderer than Webkit based on App store guidelines.
  This means neither Chrome nor Firefox on iOS are actually the normal versions. Normally Chrome uses Blink and Firefox uses Gecko, but they both use Webkit on iOS.

The answer is marketing by Apple and mobile carriers, which lean on peer pressure via iMessage. Plus the iPhone built on the success of the iPod, which led the market for mp3 players.

Conspicuous consumption.
Americans have been propagandized by Apple advertising into thinking Apple products are "high class."
Ask yourself: Why does anyone wear a Rolex?
It boils down to the same thing, showing people your wealth and thus "social value" (barf) via conspicuous consumption.
If it wasn't conspicuous consumption, why would US people literally judge potential dating partners on what kind of phone they use?
Example: https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/technology-blog/story/2008-08-07/apple-removes-1-000-featureless-iphone-application
Its function is exactly what the name implies: to alert people that you have money in the bank. I Am Rich was available for purchase from the phone’s App Store for, get this, $999.99 -- the highest amount a developer can charge through the digital retailer, said Armin Heinrich, the program’s developer. Once downloaded, it doesn’t do much -- a red icon sits on the iPhone home screen like any other application, with the subtext ‘I Am Rich.’ Once activated, it treats the user to a large, glowing gem (pictured above). That’s about it. For a thousand dollars.
This was barely a year after the original iPhone's release. The attitude toward Apple products has persisted ever since.
- Conspicuous consumption doesn’t really hold in this case because the alternative is around the same price.
  I’d also question any claim about the dating partner. Maybe a study said it has an impact, but I doubt it’s a strong impact on evaluation of a potential partner. By all means, I’d love to see the source for that
  You also cite an example of what was basically a meme. Literally nobody bought that app (and iirc those who were tricked got their money back)
  
  https://web.archive.org/web/20241008034217/https://nypost.com/2024/10/07/lifestyle/are-iphone-users-petty-youll-be-surprised-how-many-wont-date-android-fans-survey/
  The different colored texts in iMessage and forced downgrade of any MMS sent via an Android is part of that perception by iPhone users that Android's are inferior devices, even if they cost similarly.
  Apple refused to implement RCS until very recently. Not saying Google is better in terms of RCS, they have their own issues, this is just about how Apple has leveraged iMessage to the end of people viewing it as a "higher class' device than Android.
  All the sleek white design was a part of that too. People thought it looked futuristic/costly and the rest of the industry tried to copy their design philosophy due to that. You can't deny that Apple devices look classy. Apple didn't pay Jony Ive an absolute fuckton of money per year for nothing.
  
  the alternative is around the same price
  You know that's not true.
  There are stupidly expensive Android flagships, but there are also a lot of phones for a fraction of the price.
- I hate to say it, the reason people choose dating partners on phone use is because of blue texts on iMessage. that’s the only reason. Apple was brilliant pitching that as an Android problem instead of playing fair and working on an open standard since day 1. Dragged their feet for years.
  
  I still find this hard to believe. It’s just a visual indicator whether the conversation is encrypted or not, but who would actually judge partners with this.
  When I checked with my kids, since we know teenagers can be very shallow bullies, they said there is some light teasing but it was really started by online crap like this. Not even teenagers care. I mean, they don’t usually use iMessages anyway, so many probably never noticed.
  “Blue texts” is a fake issue. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was started as a prank, or by Google, and no one cared until it was all over the internet
- It about not beeimg sold as the product. Its about using the browser that dont rat you out
  
  That means Apple's advertising is working if you actually believe they care about your privacy.
  
  But iphones can't use Firefox with uBlockOrigin and NoScript

I have no need for third party apps.
For anything beyond texting or scrolling, I have a desktop.
Defying mask mandates wasn’t due to a ‘love for freedom’ but due to delusions and selfishness.

Fuck iPhones.

Tbh androids privacy is shit. I’d rather deal with Apple than Google both on hardware and privacy any day. The only way I’d switch is to something like Graphene

You have to connect it to a server to even use it
That's also true of the versions of Android that 99.99% of people use
cannot have any third-party apps without an online account.
Most people don't care. They'll use the suggested app store and have an account already.
Right or not, it is what it is.

Not an American, but I ended up with an iPhone simply because the cost difference between it and an Android device via my carrier wasn't that big. It was also a previous generation model at a steep discount which helped a lot.
I am not a fan of Apple but if a company is going to screw me then at least Apple isn't so in-my-face about it like Google is. Google's data harvesting and ads are absolutely atrocious.
I used Blackberry right up until they ditched BB10. Sometimes I wonder if I should just get a feature phone because modern smartphones are awful things.
- I am not a fan of Apple but if a company is going to screw me then at least Apple isn’t so in-my-face about it like Google is. Google’s data harvesting and ads are absolutely atrocious.
  I mean, that's kinda the dilemma.
  You might get a bit more privacy with Apple, but then you sacrifice with the whole "not being able to 'sideload' apps" thing.
  And if you want to bit of freedom, you have to use Android, which means you lose more privacy because the whole Google thing.
  Ugh, why does every company suck so much. 🤦‍♂️
  (Also: I don't even know if Apple is really more private, its kinda just blind faith tbh...)
  
  It's a bit harder to know what information Apple collects and what they do with it because they're more obscure about it. Unlike Google that immediately sells your information to the lowest bidder to slam ads in your face at every possible opportunity.
  The lack of sideloading is indeed a large drawback. I do miss the apps I used to get off F-Droid when I had an Android phone. I've mostly replaced them with, well, nothing. I use my phone less and less as apps, and the internet in general, become more foul and toxic places to be.
  
  Side loading is not impossible even without jailbreaking your device, as long as you don’t mind “reactivating” the side loaded app every 30 days. There are tools that make it quite easy to do.
  
  Definitely a huge problem that you never really know, but is it any less valid to take their word for it than to just assume the worst. Taken at face value, Apple is much better at privacy and is a clear winner. Taken at face value, Googles basic operating model itself is exploiting my privacy, why would I accept that?
  I also tend to be skeptical about corporate actions matching their promises, given all the evidence of recent history, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re judging them on your skepticism, your worst fears, with no evidence. You can’t know they’re doing the right thing but you also dint know they’re doing the wrong thing. I’ll stick with evidence, and Apple has a long history of privacy-based choices, I’ll start with their promises, but yes we need to hold them to it

The iPhone came out before Android, so Apple had first mover advantage it could solidify to a sticky user base.
Also, a "free" Android experience only occurs when you've got full control of everything. Android was a lot more willing to give up control to third parties, including carriers. With Apple, you're only giving control to one company.
- I think you overestimate the value of those first two years.
  
  What else justifies 60% market penetration?

Not an iphone user, but am intrigued by all the ads the apple people say are on androids. Literally have never seen one, and I've had adjusted androids since the og htcs.
- It's the opposite. On Android I have an adblocker. On my work iphone I have to raw dog the internet
  
  Rawdogging the internet applies to those who do not set up their phones properly. This applies to both IPhone and Android users. It is uncool that Apple only allows Webkit based browsers, where uBlock Origin doesn't work. But even Safari Browser can be set up properly in the settings. Additional to that, there are extensions that block ads and trackers. I use a combinatiion of three extensions and I haven't seen any ads so far:
  KaBlock!
  Hush Nag Blocker
  Ad Guard (I only use the free tier)
  
  You can install AdGuard on iOS, it will at least block ads in the browser.
  
  For iPhone, The internet is much better:
  in reader mode
  with AdGuard
- Android has a lot more free apps with ads, while on iOS there's a lot more "gimme $2" apps. It's a trade off.
  
  Apple requires like $99 per year to keep the app in the store. Google play requires like $25 one time fee.
- Saw them all the time on my first android phone which was a $20 Huawei phone which is almost certainly a major factor.
- I'm from SEA, junior. Why?

Freedom is not one thing. The choice between iOS and Android is not a choice between zero freedom and unlimited freedom. You’re simply choosing which freedoms you want to prioritize.
I’m planning to switch to an Android device running an alternative OS with my next purchase after using iPhone exclusively since the 3g. That’s driven by a change in priorities: I want the freedom that comes from using a phone that isn’t a surveillance and advertising vehicle. For years now though, I’ve been enjoying the freedom of knowing my phone will continue to receive updates for a minimum of 5 years after I buy it new while some of my Android friends will be lucky if they get two.
- Your definition of freedom is an interesting one
  
  Yep! Like I said, freedom is more than one thing. The way this questions is framed tries to put the blinders on and obscure that fact, creating a false equivalency between the freedom to sideload software and some abstract notion of “absolute freedom” which doesn’t actually exist. We’re rarely choosing between absolute freedom and zero freedom, certainly not in this case.
- People confuse freedom with variety

through significant promotion and advertisement by APPLE, the mackbook, is used by tons of programmers though, and i have used the desktops at university library.

Honestly, if you can tolerate the Apple ecosystem it works really well, with adequate privacy. My wife and my mother both use them and I recommend it for anyone who isn't a privacy nerd.
If the user isn't willing to jump through hoops to lock shit down, Apple offers a better suite across platforms for privacy and security.
- Honestly, if you can tolerate the Apple ecosystem it works really well, with adequate privacy.
  Not having firefox browser extensions is a huge dealbreaker tho (because Apple require some safari thing in all the browsers that breaks extentions), like imagine not being able to have uBlock Origin.
  Also, I'm a bit of a pirate... Apple app store has no torrent client... 😉
  
  Why would you torrent from your phone?
  Wrong tool for the job…
  
  You can literally set up a raspberry pi for torrents.
  Why on earth would you torrent in your phone?
  
  Also, I'm a bit of a pirate... Apple app store has no torrent client...
  I sideload iTorrent on my iPhone via AltStore
  
  Orion browser IOS has firefox and chrome extension support (doesn't work for everything but most do)
  
  I’d consider myself an average ublock user on desktop, and as a point of comparison I’ve yet to run into anything on iOS that wasn’t blocked just as well by AdGuard for Safari, plus the distraction control feature for hiding one-off annoyances.

iphones are the first recognized "smartphone".
apple is an american company.
apple has a massive fanbase that is completely dedicated to apple and all their products.
i'm not sure what the global usage of apple products is, but i think here it's probably a lot higher than in other places. throw in the fact that there's only one device capable of (legally) running apple's mobile software, and there you have it.
also, their advertising didn't hurt either. no one on the android side had the kind of advertising they did until maybe 6 or 7 years later and by that time you were probably already well established in the iphone ecosystem.
- They used to innovate, no doubt. But their products provide absolutely terrible value now. Great resale, sure. But you're overpaying 20% for the hardware you're getting which is not the case on the Android side. The only thing iPhone universally does better is 1) video and 2) ecosystem (if all your products are Apple). The rest is a tomaeto vs tomahto situation.
  Not relevant to most basic users but I could not use a phone where I did not have the freedom to sideload apps, especially if I'm overpaying for the hardware.

The average American is a fucking idiot and half of them are dumber than that

Not an American but to be honest, both Google and Apple are appalling. Google openly steal all your data and sell it. Apple do similar but on a smaller scale but also claim they're all about privacy. Both make it difficult to use alternative app stores but with Apple its actually impossible. Phone vendors can and do install their own awful bloat on Android phones. Apple force you to use webkit for any browsing you might want to do, Android's native GUI is a mess. Nothing Apple put on their devices is open source so all their claims of privacy can never be verified. Both companies constantly try and impose proprietary standards or charge you a bajillion pounds for a fucking pen or some such bullshit.
The key difference for me is I can put something like Calyx or Graphene on an Android device and use a whole open source ecosystem of alternative apps which vastly improves the privacy of my device.
- All good points, although the restrictions on alternative app stores and browser engines are no longer true in the EU.

Because my belief in political freedom has nothing to do with my phone choice and it would be odd to conflate the two.
When I had an android I had to spend a lot more time making sure apps would work with my phone and that my phone would be "secure" whereas I have less concerns of that with apple.
Simply put with apple I dont have to do as much work to make sure things work.
- political freedom has nothing to do with my phone choice
  Lol... Mass data collection entered the chat
  
  which happens more overtly on android

Honestly I didn’t get an iPhone until 2021 or so and all of my android phones before then ran slow in a year or so. That never happened with my iPhones. Having recently gotten into privacy and selfhosting I have considered a pixel with graphene but don’t wanna waste money.
Worth noting I don’t use iCloud or any of those Apple related services.
I know my partner thinks the same way. My family all has them recently too. Idk why though. We mostly had Samsung before then LG earlier.
- all of my Linux phones before then ran slow in a year or so. That never happened with my iPhones
  Linux isn't really optimized for phones so they are going to be terrible.
  And since Apple doesn't really sell budget phones, iPhones are always gonna be fast, so is a flagship Android phone. Its the flagship aspect that makes a phone fast, not the OS.
  
  I recently upgraded from a six-year-old iPhone and it STILL ran crazy smoothly and fast. The battery lasted most of a day, and I never had it replaced. The only reasons I upgraded were better low-light cat pics, more space, 120hz, and USB-C. I’ll probably keep this phone for six years as well.
  
  I mistyped, I meant android. And the Samsung and LG phones were not budget sadly.
  
  Linux isn’t really optimized for phones so they are going to be terrible.
  Android is technically Linux, which may or may not be what they're referring to.
  There's basically almost zero Linux phones that actually function as a "phone" in any daily-driver capacity. They're all still basicaly developing devices unless you're referring to Android as a variant of Linux.
  
  Its the flagship aspect that makes a phone fast, not the OS.
  And it's the OS that keeps it fast a few years down the road.
- I’m sure this is part of it. All my phones before iPhone sucked. All but one person I know with Android, their phones suck(the downside of cheap phones being available). While I didn’t try every model, and I’m sure they’ve gotten better, why would I abandon something that has worked well, for something where my only experience is negative.
  
  Thanks for adding! I feel the same way. I can’t spend $1000 plus on something that most of my life has failed after a year or two.
- A few things to comment on.
  | I didn’t get an iPhone until 2021 or so and all of my android phones before then ran slow in a year or so.
  Like your computer, smartphones slow down when you have a lot of things running/idling in the background. They also slow down with bloatware. Cleaning your phone's memory every so often is a smart practice to incorporate into your ownership of the device. CCleaner is the one I download every so often to do a scan and clean what I can. There's bound to be a better app option, but that's the one I know about and have used before.
  And just so we're on the same page, I bought a refurbished Pixel 2 back in early 2020 and it's been running fine for me. Haven't noticed any issues with operations except for the screen and the battery not holding its charge as long as it once did. But to be fair, my screen has a few hairpin cracks in it from dropping it on accident a couple of times. And the battery hold on any smartphone degrades with age and usage.
  | That never happened with my iPhones.
  You're either super lucky or you're the kind of person that gets a new smartphone every year or so; for some reason or another.
  As I mentioned above, smartphones naturally and unnaturally get slower as they age. But let's not forget that planned obsolescence is very much being used across the board.
  
  My six-year-old iPhone was running super fast and nicely when I recently upgraded. I never had issues with performance. iOS does NOT necessitate closing background programs, also. It’s recommended you do not do that. It’s unnecessary.
  
  I use my phones until they break or get too slow. Androids always got too slow for me. Resetting to factory default didn’t solve this so I don’t think it’s bloat.
  
  I’m actually mixing up my years. My first iPhone was 2017 until 2020 or 2021. 4-5 years. Only switched because I broke the camera.

I can only speak for myself and my kids. I have an iPhone because my work gave me one for free. They only support iPhone for security reasons. Keeping Android devices up to date across a large fleet is challenging leaving security gaps. For my kids they wanted my old iPhones because it’s what all their friends have.

Until there is a better alternative to the new evil that is google/alphabet, apple is a lesser evil.
- Eh you can achieve similar or greater privacy on a Android phone simply because it's not locked down in the way an iPhone is.

I’m a professional C# developer, and I switched to iPhone in 2020. Mostly I wanted a more controlled, curated App Store for increased confidence in a safe execution environment. I’ll pay the $100/yr for a developer account if I really need to build and run my own code.
The lack of ad block options bugs me. I also don’t use iCloud.
I have doubts about whether this question is asking or proselytizing.
- Asking.
  Using iPhones is fine.
  But I see people being so "SovCit" then go on and use an iPhone, which is just like... wtf lol
- If OP isn't then the commenters sure are taking up the reins
- Just use nextdns for ad blocking. You can install your own profile that is basically a pihole at the os level for cell and WiFi traffic. It blocks web ads, but also any trackers embedded in third party apps.

Because an iPhone isn’t “that” expensive when you buy it on a plan. I mean it’s only $38 CAD for the new iPhone 6e on a Contract. That’s with my paycheque to paycheque budget. /s
Though honestly that’s the mind set of these users. Sure they are literally paying $100+ CAD more than MSRP. But to them since it includes the data it’s a good deal.
Now bellow is my view as a guy who manages and orgs fleet of Samsung phone, developed apps for both Android and iOS, and is the defacto IT guy for my family.
I think the lean towards iPhones comes from budget Android being crap, and peer pressure from those around them. Get a cheap A series Samsung or a Budget Acer and you are just asking for a slow and buggy experience where the mic will just stop working after 2 years. Or it’s running Android One.
Even an older iPhone like the 6s is still supported by many apps. Plus since it once had flagship specs. The soc has more power and runs better than anything new from Android. It’s the same logic that if you get an older iPad for the same price as a new Fire Tablet the iPad will be better than a fire tablet.
The solution is to get a more expensive Android. But once you get to the price point of a Samsung S series, you might as well get an iPhone. The price is comparable, and you don’t loose out on features like the App Store (google play is a steaming pile in comparison). Plus iMessage and FaceTime is seamless and Airdrop “just works”.
My relative had Android for years and struggled to use them. I finally convinced one of them to use an iPhone XR by the time the 14 was coming out, and now my Nan is texting and doing FaceTime. They could’ve done this before with the budget Android their carrier gave them. But the work Apple did to make it feel intuitive is brilliant. In fact because of the confidence boost from the iPhone, she’s even gotten herself an iPad to do her crossword puzzles.
On top of that, unlike Apple. There is no guarantee that if you pay more for you Android that I’ll keep getting support. Most phones struggle to offer more than 2 years. And with the fiasco around the Pixel 4 battery, it’s hard to believe the biggest players “promises”. Compare that to Apple and while the promise 7 years, realistically it can be 10 years.
For me the reason I swapped over was the Play Store being hot garbage. And the disgusting amount of uninstallable bloat on it. I tried for years to install custom ROMs and midrange Chinese phones to get around it. While it works, I grew tired of the work required just to keep my phone up to date. And the loss of built in features since I was going u official. Like the loss of 2/3 cameras in the app (trying to find a cracked gcamera which enables both is a chore), and contactless pay (evolution x worked sometime, and locked me out other time).
Don’t get me wrong iOS isn’t better than Android. I miss my headphone jack, FDroid, side loading my own apps, the ease of adding custom ringtones, and custom launcher. Oh and being able to use 3rd party web browsers that aren’t skins of Safari (WebKit). But when updates come through I’m not concerned. My contactless pay works. Ad blocking is possible and I can’t complain about the cameras.
- I recently upgraded my six-year-old iPhone to the latest, highest end version… the OS was fully supported still, and it ran amazingly fast. The battery was original and lasted most of a day without charging.
  I have to agree with all of your points.
  Also on your last point… this new phone’s cameras are INSANE. I have yet to see any other phone match how incredible pictures turn out. Especially pictures of my cats in a very dark room. My old phone would take kinda blurry dark room pics, but the fur detail in even a nearly pitch-black room is ridiculous.

Bootlickers got nothing to hide..... Also Android is the same thing unless degoogled.
- IMO Android is worse unless you really tinker with it. Most people don’t even know how to side load an app, much less root and degoogle. Many people don’t know to buy carrier unlocked phones or can’t afford to. The last android I used had several carrier apps forced onto it, unable to be removed, including apps I refuse to use like Facebook, which I’m sure the carrier got a kickback to force on us. Then the carrier decided no more updates despite the manufacturer releasing more major updates.
  Most people just don’t know or care enough to do what should be done with an android phone. They just want a device to call and text on that can also crush candy or whatever other distraction they prefer.
  
  A man who doesn't tend to his own business will have another man do it for him
  Most people just don’t know or care enough to do what should be done with a [wife]. They just want a [wife to cook and clean] that can also [fuck on command] or whatever other distraction they prefer

I’ve used an IPhone since 4s. I have a 13 Plus Max. However. I used to have android devices. I always enjoy the UI/UX on the iPhone over the Android os. Even after working for the Android team. I still preferred iOS. I know I’m missing out to some awesome android features. But I can always jailbreak and add those features like I have on my iPad mini cellular. Which worked with Google Fi somehow. After jailbreaking. And my iPhone 6.

I like the user experience. I like the quality of the third party apps available. I like Apple's stated commitment to privacy. I don't trust Google.

Why do most [insert country here] people use [insert brand from their country here]???
- But like... that's because most of the time it's nationalism.
  But the thing is America is supposed to be all about "Freedom"
  I mean, Americans even defied a resonable thing like wearing masks, but then is okay with not having the freedom to install apps... Not sure how much people actually care about freedom... 🤔
  
  I am an American, use Android and even wore a mask. Most of all, I would have no problems punching a Nazi.
  Meh, freedom is just a buzzword that was brainwashed into us at a young age in school and stuff but hardly anyone actually knows what their rights actually are.
  As far as phones are concerned, people use them because they look like they are built for children and they are supposedly easier to use. Even though I hate Apple, I can say that they did a decent job on their UI. It's a local brand as well. The times I was in Germany, Mercedes and BMW were super common, from what I saw. (Why do all Germans drive those expensive things???? /s)
  Also, please remember we have a ton of sub-cultutes, sub-sub-cultures, many dialects of American English and importantly, a massive amount of land. (Land is important, because more separation breeds major cultural differences.)
  There are some places in this country where even I feel like an alien, and I am just an average white dude and I have lived in North Carolina, California, Florida and now Colorado. All of those states are vastly different, culturally.
  Most of all, just because I am American, doesn't make me like anyone else here, contrary to what .ml memes say. I am not my government, I dont eat McDonald's 10x a day and I am not a fascist. (I do own a reasonable sized truck though. My wife does a ton of gardening work, so it's logical.)
  Don't generalize people by their phones.
  
  But like… that’s because most of the time it’s nationalism.
  But the thing is America is supposed to be all about “Freedom”
  Freedom is nationalism to Americans
  
  Convenience is nationalism
  Damn. Why don’t more Americans buy Huawei phones that aren’t available in any stores? Must be nationalist!

Honestly, at this point, the only reason to go with either ecosystem is that Android, for now, allows you to escape Google, to some degree depending on how much work you're willing to put in. IOS/apple doesn't allow that
But, Google is trying hard to get to the same place.
But, ignoring that, apple got there first. That's what it amounts to. The first real smart phone was by Apple, and that gave them a leg up

I personally do not trust Google at all. Their entire business model is ads and tracking.
- Apple is in no way better.
  
  You're not even making an argument, just an assertion. Are you by chance a software engineer? If you really understand what Google is doing on a technical level, there is no comparison. No they are not the same. No Apple is not just as bad. Just think about it, Google makes their money selling businesses ads. Apple makes their money selling you a phone. The incentives are very different.
  
  I disagree. Apple might not be perfect, but it is better than Google when it comes to ads and tracking. I know my data is encrypted, both on the device and in my cloud. And in the App Store, it tells me exactly what data is being collected by the apps I choose to install.

android user now but basically... it might be that most of us Americans try to take the path of least resistance or whatever doesn't give us headaches. I mean like, almost everything we do (except taxes) are pretty simplified. And even for taxes, we can LITERALLY pay for services to simplify or do it for us ( like wtf, this is kinda stupid). Apple does a good job of making it an easy experience.
easy to use - like an automatic car vs manual car.
popular apps just work - I don't think its a problem now but I remember when some social media apps were just broken on android vs iphone.
a lot of the software looks pretty clean and fancy. Gives it a polished experience.
HARD TO LEAVE - Apple products work better with other apple products. Once you leave, you basically lose out on all the purchases you've made over the years.
Apple store support - life saver for most people
Security updates more consistent.
Hell, trying to adjust from typing with iphone keyboard to android keyboard took longer than expected.
Also our government issues out iphones for fed employees.

Mostly because of bullying. Android users are poor shamed.
- Surely that's not a uniquely American phenomenon.

I would never use an iPhone if my phone were my primary computing device. But I just make occasional calls and texts, and use a handful of apps (for instance, Nextcloud and Home Assistant connected directly to my home server, bypassing most of Apple’s ecosystem).
For a secondary device, I just want something simple and sturdy that I have to think about as little as possible—and for that specific use case the limitations are a plus.
- I do always wonder if this is part of it. I want my phone to just work, but I have more appropriate tools for playing with stuff. My servers are Linux, my laptop is windows, and my work is Mac - appropriate tools for my uses. My kids can spend all day tweaking their gaming computers, but want their phones to just work also
  While I’m atypical in how many different computers I have, are we just more used to multiple devices in the us?

Because they are easily gullible.
- Whatever you say, Mr. President!

The binary choice is the freedom. As many people in this thread have discussed, it’s not a real choice, but it’s simple enough that most people will put on blinders and accept the available options.
I use iPhone. It sucks but network effect from people in my circle brought me here

Usamericans usually like to look for "the best", whatever that means, and never accept "second". I assume that they need that to feed their pride.
Apple has managed to make them believe that iPhone products were the best smartphones, and all of Apple's marketing is focused on maintaining that belief.
- Came here to say the same thing. Americans are brainwashed from a young age by advertising and classism. They have easily fallen into the advertising that crApple has about some 'superior lifestyle'. And actually crApple is just an over priced UI that attracts idiots. It's a mentality.
  
  cringe

Through the release of the first iPhone to the mid 2010s I'd wager that most consumers agreed that iPhones were superior to Android by most metrics: they featured more support across the board, had more apps, looked nicer, and were considered the premium. Apple pioneered the modern smartphone and had a headstart in getting users hooked into their ecosystem. Nowhere was this more pronounced than in the wealthiest country in the world (and Apple's home country).
That's a huge generalization but I think it resonates true to a degree. Also, anecdotally, I remember that all my school computers were Macs when growing up. I'm sure Apple seeped its tendrils into people's lives a variety of ways. It's not a cake walk for most people to switch ecosystems. As a lifelong Windows user I'll have a panic attack if you asked me to print a document on a Mac; I'm sure its the same vice versa lol
- Also a lifelong Windows user, but have to use a Mac for work as of last year. I was expecting it to be a nightmare, but honestly 99% of the day to day stuff is either identical or similar enough that you can figure it out in a minute or two at most.
  Things get a bit trickier if you’re trying to do more complex power user type stuff, since there are different paradigms at play, but even then a quick search will easily point you in the right direction.
- SonyEricson p800 was launched 2002. It said smart phone on it.
  
  Yes and that phone wasn't the basis of most of the smart phone platforms we see whereas the iphone was.
  
  Man I miss my Sony Ericsson. Phones used to be unique

My reasons:
Because it just works.
I can uninstall the trash apps that apple includes and use my own preferences.
Don’t have to deal with bloatware from two vendors (Google and Samsung for example)
Vendor lock-in. I started on iOS (iPod touch) and so I have a certain amount of app purchases that are iOS-only. This is the only one that galls me.
longevity / platform support. I’ve had this thing for close to five years, and the battery is only starting to fail in the last few months.
decent display. Samsung galaxy’s PCM brightness control gives me horrible eye strain.
Maybe it’s just Samsung that’s trash, I dunno. I tried hard to like android and in principle I should prefer Google’s more open ecosystem. But it just seems to enable every manufacturer of android phones to try to outcompete each other in how awful they can make the experience of owning their products, all in the name of trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

unless you're going to crack your android and install a custom rom (which, with limited exceptions, is extremely risky to do,) your choice is to either use an apple product, or a google-based OS.
Apple has a slick design, and while android (and many of he devices it runs on) aren't awful, it's hard to change. and virtually every mainstream mobile device manufacturer is using some some form of android os with a custom UI, including Huawei (which no officially a fork, because of sanctions.)
everything that's not android or apple is pretty much going to have to be installed custom. (there's a few linux-based things that aren't android, mobian, for example is a mobile-version of debian.)
I'll leave it to the other to rant about why apple might be better than android for privacy and useability, given the caveat of not hacking a custom rom.
- unless you're going to crack your android and install a custom rom (which, with limited exceptions, is extremely risky to do,
  Lolwat
  
  You can install custom roms to your phone.
  Most device manufacturers put up roadblocks, and carriers will try to talk you out of it, but you can.
  The first step is cracking the bootloader (which is a mobile version of the bios.)
  This step is a usually one-way step, and leaves your device vulnerable. The exception are google pixles, which are designed to allow you to re-lock it. Which is why graphene is only available for pixels.

I want my phone to be like a gaming console.
I turn it on, it works. I install curated stuff from a store.
The hardware is stable and predictable and thus software is of better quality when the developer doesn’t need to test 420 different hardware variants.
I do not want it to be a Linux PC I need to tinker with every day. I specifically want it to prevent me from fucking with it.
EDIT: I also have “adult money” so I can get any phone I want, I don’t need to get the cheapest.
- Unsure why you got downvoted. Same experience here. I already script and program, sometimes I just want stuff that’s stable.
  
  Exactly
  I have a separate cheapo Android phone with a prepaid sim for those cases where I need to fiddle with something really specific.
  My actual phone just has to work every day. I don’t want it to stop allowing emergency calls because Teams had the ability to intercept calls at the OS level and failed 😅

I think you vastly overestimate the "freedom" people need with their phone, you are doing the same thing Linux evangelists do, why would anyone use Windows when with just a phew workarounds everything works on Linux too, completely forgetting that average joe doesn't give a fuck about any of that, they want something that just works and Apple is still the best at that.
Personally I am a tinkerer and I still switched to an iPhone, because I need a phone that just works, with android there was always something randomly breaking, and most phones I had to set up to restart every evening otherwise it would just have random glitches in a few days.
I have owned my iphone for close to 2 years now and I can count on one hand how many times I had to restart it, hell I remember having and issue restarting it because I forgot how to do it.