None of those messengers were tied to expensive hardware like iMessage.

Very true. But it’s certainly the same concept and had very significant social effects purely because of artificial technical limitations.

iPhones are only $399.

"only"

For something you can use for hours every day for the next half decade, that’s only about $8 a month. Each of my phones costs $480 a year just for service.

It's not about you. For a lot of people, $400 is a lot of money.

Not for people who can afford a cell phone. Let me repeat, a new SE2 costs about 1/4th as much as cell service.

Like most homeless people?

Keep moving goalposts. Homeless people can’t afford a SE2, but neither can they afford any cell phone.

They can.

Then they can also afford an SE2.

I honestly can't tell if you're trolling or out of touch with reality.

I don’t know, you are the person who claimed homeless people are rocking cell phones but can’t afford cell phones.

Please stop.