This can change any day. And if you think that's impossible, look at Windows or Google Chrome. Most users just will happily trade privacy for convenience.
> the other requires you to invest time and effort, first to research, then enact
This is classic learning curve = bad. Rust is also harder than JavaScript, and Vim is harder than Notepad. What matters is whether its worth it.
Some people don't see a problem with being at the whim of a megacorp and not having true ownership of their devices. That's normal. After all, Chrome and Windows have huge marketshare too.
Putting all the eggs in Apple's basket is near-sighted at best.
It can, but seeing as Apple have staked the farm on running things locally and respecting privacy as a USP it's doubtful. I'll take "privacy protecting today, but maybe in the future I'll have to switch" over "I'm the product" any day of the week.
And yes, a learning curve CAN be bad. There is so much conflicting information in this thread alone that shows shorting the wheat from the chaff is not easy, and at best people might buy into snake oil solutions, at worst be in a less secure state than they otherwise may have been before.
And that's the problem. One platform offers, mostly, sane defaults with strong privacy guarantees and no bloatware, the other requires you to invest time and effort, first to research, then enact.