By product differentiation. People who do not want or cannot spend a lot of money buy an older generation (currently iPhone 7 and iPhone 8), people who can spend more buy the latest iteration. With the watch there is also a lot of differentiation, from basic bands, sports bands, to expensive metal or leather bands.

Though, I do not agree that people are only buying Apple for status. A lot of non-tech friends just find iPhones simpler to use, does not have preinstalled crap, and gets updated longer.

I bought a 6s in 2015. I kept it until earlier this year, replaces the battery for $29, bought an Apple battery case and gave it to my son. It runs the latest OS and is still faster than most midrange Android phones coming out this year.

iPhone 6s is faster than any android phone in single core tests. Mozilla Kraken score for 6s is 1315ms.

>at least in the US

Key. Outside of the US and a few high income countries it was always a status symbol everywhere.

Do people outside the high income countries really drive discourse on HN and other English-speaking technology sites?

Well, this specific comment thread was started by me and I'm not from an English-speaking, high income country, so there's that ^.^

Because of the meme that iPhones and iPods are overpriced, even though any directly comparable alternative is priced exactly the same.

If you call something you don't like a "status symbol", immediately you become smarter for not using it because you're making the "better" choice.

Children