Yes it is a status symbol with a 50% market share. Aren’t status symbols suppose to be something that make you stand out from the crowd?

They're also needed to be in a crowd. If you other upper middle class classmates catch you using a cheap ass android device instead of the latest iPhone you could get ostracized.

Has Apple survived 40+ years selling more expensive electronics than the competition by being a status symbol? Why are adults also buying iPhones then?

Would students really be “ostracized” if they had high priced Samsung phones?

You realize the $349 iPhone SE is more performant than any Android phone at any cost.

Not necessarily, more like just something that makes you feel like you stand out from the crowd. Whether it actually makes you stand out or not doesn’t matter that much.

Geeks have been saying Apple products were “status symbols” since the iPod was introduced in 2001. Just maybe people want Apple products because they feel they are better?